The mother of a 6-year-old Palestinian boy who was fatally stabbed in Illinois last week in what police believe was a hate crime motivated by the Israel–Hamas conflict has spoken out for the first time since leaving the hospital, reflecting on the loss of her “best friend.”
Hanan Shahin, 32, and her son Wadea Al-Fayoume were stabbed multiple times with a 12-inch serrated military-style knife with a seven-inch blade at their home in the Chicago suburb of Plainfield, Illinois on Oct. 14.
The suspect has been identified as their 71-year-old landlord, Joseph Czuba, and police say the stabbing incident occurred during a confrontation.
Law enforcement officials believe the mother and son were targeted because they were Muslim.
Ms. Shahin and her son were rushed to hospital on the day of the attack but the 6-year-old later died from his injuries. Ms. Shahin who is Palestinian-American, was later released from hospital after recovering from her extensive injuries.
The head of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, met with Ms. Shahin on Monday following her release from the hospital, according to a press release.
The meeting was arranged so that CAIR-Chicago executive director, Ahmed Rehab, could “assess her health and needs” and “connect her with the necessary resources, services, and legal assistance” she may require, according to the group.
‘An Angel on Earth’
Ms. Shahin credited her swift recovery to the care and professionalism of the doctors and nurses at St. Joseph’s Hospital and to “God hearing the prayers of people out there.”“Despite the painful loss and the trauma she experienced that morning, her spirit is strong and she is finding peace and answers in her faith in God. She said that she accepts that God chose them for this test—and that she finds solace in ’remembering Wadea as an angel on earth, and knowing that he is now an angel in heaven,'” the group said.
“She said that she harbors no hatred, but believes in the pursuit of justice,” the group said, adding that Ms. Shahin had asked the general public to “pray for peace.”
Concluding their meeting, Ms. Shahin reflected on her time with her “smart and funny” son, who she said had a deep care for the planet and “always liked to join her in prayer.”
“He was my best friend,” the mother said of her murdered son.
Suspect Charged
Although Mr. Czuba, a U.S. Air Force veteran, did not make any statements to detectives when he was arrested, law enforcement officials were able to gather enough information through interviews and evidence to charge the landlord with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of committing a hate crime, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.In a statement Tuesday, Ms. Shahin’s attorney, Ben Crump, said her son had celebrated his sixth birthday just eight days before he was killed, adding that the young child should never have had to “pay the price for hate-fueled behavior.”
“The pain endured by the Al-Fayoume family is immeasurable. No family should have to bear such a devastating loss, compounded by the burden of overwhelming medical bills,” Mr. Crump said. “We must come together as a society not only to seek justice for Wadea but also to support this grieving family in their time of need.”
“Just as we did for Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, we must ensure that Wadea’s name is heard loud and clear. May his name serve as a reminder that in a civilized society, there is no place for hate, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or xenophobia,” the attorney concluded.
Ms. Shahin is set to speak publicly during a news conference on Wednesday, the attorney said.
