Page 14 - Pakistan Link - October 20, 2023

P14 - PAKISTAN LINK - OCTOBER 20, 2023 COMMUNITY
n By Anwar Iqbal Americans Urged to Speak against According to an earlier AFP story, their chest, torso, and upper extremi-

A serrated military-style knife with
WASHINGTON: The need for heal- Hate after Young Boy’s Murder US President Joe Biden said the boy’s ties,” the sheriff’s statement said.
family were Palestinian Muslims who
ing was felt across America, as the “came to America seeking what we all a seven-inch blade was pulled from the
media reported details of the murder seek — a refuge to live, learn, and pray boy’s abdomen during the autopsy, the
of six-year-old Palestinian boy Wadea in peace.” statement said.
Al-Fayoume, whose murderer had his “This horrific act of hate has no When police arrived they found
first day in a Plainfield, Illinois, court place in America,” Biden said in a state- Czuba sitting on the ground near the
on Monday. ment. driveway of the residence with a lac-
“All must speak out against hate,” The suspect, Joseph Czuba, 71, eration on his forehead. He was taken
wrote The Baltimore Sun, referring was charged with first-degree murder, to hospital for treatment before being
to a speech former President George attempted first-degree murder, two charged with murder, attempted mur-
W. Bush made at the Islamic Center counts of hate crime and aggravated der, and two counts of hate crimes.
of Washington days after the Sept 11, battery with a deadly weapon, the sher- “He knocked on the door and at-
2001, terrorist attacks, where he urged iff’s office said. tempted to choke her, and said ‘you
Americans not to blame an entire reli- “Detectives were able to determine Muslims’ must die,’ ” Ahmed Rehab,
gion and its followers for an act com- that both victims in this brutal at- head of the Council on American-Is-
mitted by a handful of militants. tack were targeted by the suspect due lamic Relations (CAIR) Chicago office,
Emphasizing this point, The Balti- to them being Muslim and the ongo- told reporters, citing text messages sent
more Sun suggested that the campaign ing Middle Eastern conflict involv- by the woman to the murdered boy’s
against hate “can start by mourning Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, a Muslim boy who was stabbed to death in an attack ing Hamas and the Israelis,” the Will father from her hospital bed.
6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume,” who that targeted him and his mother for their religion and as a response to the County Sheriff’s Office said in a state- The CAIR identified the boy as
loved to play ball, loved to color, loved ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, poses in an undated family ment. Wadea Al-Fayoume and said the wom-
to swing, loved his family, and who, we photograph — Reuters Reuters could not identify an attor- an, Hanaan Shahin, was his mother.
surely can all agree, did not deserve to ney for Czuba. He was in jail awaiting “The Islamophobic rhetoric and
have his life ripped from him, stabbed Fitzgerald said the boy’s mother told The family “had no reason to sus- his initial court appearance, the office anti-Palestinian racism being spread
26 times“. investigators that when first confront- pect what was to occur”, said Ahmed said. by politicians, media outlets, and social
The court ordered that 71-year-old ed by Czuba over the violence in Israel, Rehab, executive director of the Coun- Although Czuba did not make any media platforms must stop,” CAIR said
Joseph Czuba, who is charged with she told him, “Let’s pray for peace”. cil on American-Islamic Relations, statements to detectives, as is his con- on the social media platform X, for-
murder and hate-crime, must be kept That’s when Shahin said he at- Chicago, as Czuba was friendly to the stitutional right, police said they deter- merly known as Twitter.
behind bars without bail. tacked her with a knife. “He didn’t give family until the bombing of Gaza be- mined the charges through interviews FBI Director Christopher Wray
Czuba also stabbed Fayoume’s her time. He then attacked her with a gan. and evidence. warned the International Association
mother, Hanaan Shahin, dozens of knife,” Fitzgerald told the court. “It wasn’t until Czuba started When police arrived at the scene, of Chiefs of Police conference to stay
times, but she survived the attack and On Monday night, people gathered watching the news and hearing the they said they found Czuba sitting on vigilant “in this heightened environ-
is now in a hospital near Chicago. outside Shahin’s hospital, while her son statements that something changed,” the ground outside the home with a cut ment.”
“You Muslims have to die,” was laid to rest in a Chicago suburb of he added. to his forehead. The victims were in a “There’s no question we’re seeing
screamed Czuba, when he barged into Bridgeview, where hundreds attended Czuba’s wife, Mary, told police he bedroom. an increase in reported threats, and
the ground-floor apartment that he his funeral. “listens to conservative talk radio on Authorities said the woman man- we’ve got to be on the lookout, espe-
owned and where his tenants, Fayoume According to court documents, a regular basis”, and was heavily inter- aged to call 911 as she fought off the cially for lone actors who may take
and his parents lived. Shahin told police she rents two rooms ested in the recent events happening in landlord, named by the sheriff’s office inspiration from recent events to
“You are killing our kids in Israel. in Czuba’s house where she lived with Israel. as Czuba. commit violence of their own,” Wray
You Palestinians don’t deserve to live,” her son on the first floor, and Czuba Czuba told his wife on Wednesday “Deputies located two victims in- told the conference in San Diego on
he shouted as he attacked his victims. lived on the second floor, according to that he wanted Shahin and her family side the residence in a bedroom. Both Saturday, according to the FBI web-
The county’s attorney Michael the documents. to move out of the home. - Dawn victims had multiple stab wounds to site. – AFP/Reuters

n By Ras H. Siddiqui Sacramento Rally Calls for Peace It would have been very easy to
California skip this protest as there was also

sizeable number of people and End to Occupation in Palestine a Cricket tournament being held
in town. But amongst the people
from diverse backgrounds at the rally were some old friends
A eld a rally in Sacramento, who have been directly and dev-
h
California on October 14, 2023, astatingly impacted. Br Adeeb Al-
to voice support zanoon of PAL and local Council
for the Palestinian on American-Islamic Relations
people, especially (CAIR) Executive Director Br Ba-
those currently un- sim El Karra are just two of many
der siege in Gaza. who were here.
The protesters pop- This writer has known both
ulated the four cor- Adeeb and Basim for a long time,
ners of the intersection of 16th and on seeing them this time it
& J Street carrying banners and appeared that they had suddenly
Palestinian flags. They also lis- aged several years since we had last
tened to speeches by local leaders seen them just a few months ago.
and activists belonging to various This tragedy is devastating many
groups. Endorsers of this event lives. Brother Basim whose fam-
included the ANSWER organiza- ily is from Gaza, was continuously
tion. Left Wing, Student and Pal- checking his cell phone at this rally
estinian groups including the Pal- to hear about displacement and ca-
estine American League (PAL), sualties within his extended fam-
and not to be left out, the Jewish ily. Yes, this new Gaza war (there
Voice for Peace Sacramento. have been many before) is killing
October 7, 2023, will go down innocents including women and
in history as a dark day in the his- children on both sides.
tory of Israel-Palestine relations All the speakers here called for
which also extend outwards to the the end of the Occupation and a
worldwide Jewish-Muslim rela- peaceful resolution of the Israeli-
tionship. Within a week of the at- Palestinian conflict. The crowd
tack inside Israel by Hamas, Israel raised slogans including “End, end
has responded, and the global me- the Occupation” and “Free, free
dia has rightly condemned the kill- Palestine” along with “No justice,
ing of innocent people. But before no peace.” They also called out for
one delves into this long-standing fairness towards the Palestinian
conflict, there is also some con- people and for putting an end to
demnation brewing in the western this war. Lest we forget, the Pales-
world of the Israeli response which tinians are the long-suffering peo-
also includes the killing of inno- ple in this conflict. And they love
cent people. their children too.
www.Pakistanlink.com