Crowds of mourners in a heavily Palestinian suburb of Chicago paid tribute Oct. 16 to a 6-year-old Muslim boy killed in an alleged hate crime, hours after authorities revealed new details about the evidence used to accuse the family’s landlord of stabbing the child and his mother.
Wadea Al-Fayoume, who recently celebrated a birthday, died on October 14 after being stabbed dozens of times in a brutal attack that drew condemnation from local elected officials and the White House. Authorities said the family’s landlord, Joseph Czuba, was angry about the war between Israel and Hamas and attacked them after the boy’s mother suggested they “pray for peace.”
In Bridgeview, home to a large and established Palestinian community, family and friends remembered Wadea as an energetic boy who enjoyed playing games. His body was carried in a small white coffin – sometimes covered with a Palestinian flag – through a packed crowd.
Mosque Foundation Imam Jamal Said reflected on the boy’s death during the janaza, the funeral prayer, but also on the broader loss of life in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Wadea is a child and he is not the only one being attacked,” he said, adding that many “children are unfortunately literally being slaughtered in the Holy Land, which is very sad.”
Mahmoud Yousef, the boy’s uncle, remembered Wadea as a typical six-year-old who was active, playful and friendly. Citing a text message from the boy’s mother, who was still recovering when her son was buried, Mr Yousef said she remembered the last words her son spoke to her after he was stabbed: “Mom, I am fine.”
“You know what, he’s doing well,” Mr. Yousef said. “He is in a better place.”
Earlier Monday, Mr Czuba made his first court appearance on murder, attempted murder and hate crime charges. In detailing the charges on October 15, the Will County Sheriff’s Office determined that “both victims of this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect because they are Muslim and because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Hamas and the Israelis are involved.”
Mr. Czuba, a Plainfield resident, responded, “Yes, sir,” when asked if he understood the charges and was then taken back to jail in Joliet, 50 miles southwest of Chicago. A Will County judge granted a court-appointed attorney. The public defender’s office did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the charges against him.
The boy’s mother told investigators she rents two rooms on the first floor of the Plainfield home, while Mr. Czuba and his wife live on the second floor, Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Fitzgerald said in a court filing.
“He was angry with her because of what happened in Jerusalem,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “She answered him, ‘Let us pray for peace.’ … Czuba then attacked her with a knife.”
The boy’s mother stopped him and went into a bathroom where she remained until police arrived. Wadea, meanwhile, was in his own room, Mr. Fitzgerald said.
The mother was identified by relatives as Hanaan Shahin, although authorities used different spellings for both her name and that of her son.
On the day of the attack, police found Mr Czuba sitting on the ground outside the house with a cut on his forehead.
Mr. Czuba’s wife, Mary, told police that her husband feared they would be attacked by people of Middle Eastern descent and that she had withdrawn $1,000 from a bank “just in case the U.S. power grid went down,” the official said. Mr Fitzgerald in the court document.
In Bridgeview, the boy’s father spoke briefly to reporters in Arabic, saying he was trying to understand what happened to his son and the boy’s mother.
‘I am here as the boy’s father, not as a politician or religious scholar. “I am here as the father of a boy whose rights have been violated,” he said.
Community members sang prayers in unison outside the mosque and followed the janaza as leaders transported the coffin in a hearse. “There is no God but God,” “The martyr is loved by God,” and “God is the greatest,” they sang, which many Muslims recite in moments of grief, fear or memory.
At a press conference outside the mosque, speakers called on politicians and media to be responsible with their rhetoric and reporting on the war between Israel and Hamas. Those present gathered close to hear, the telephone recording and the somber expressions.
In recent days, Jewish and Muslim groups have reported an increase in hateful rhetoric in the wake of the war. Several cities have increased police patrols.
The Justice Department said it has opened a hate crime investigation into the attack.
“This heinous act of hate has no place in America and goes against our founding values: freedom from fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are,” President Joe Biden said.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Ed White in Detroit and Noreen Nasir in New York contributed to this report.