In Bridgeview, Illinois, mourners on Monday laid to rest Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy who was stabbed to death in an anti-Muslim hate crime. The boy’s mother, Hanaan Shahin, was left hospitalized with serious injuries after Saturday’s assault by the family’s landlord, who reportedly shouted “You Muslims must die” during the attack. The landlord appeared in court Monday to face murder charges. This is Deanna Othman, a Palestinian American high school teacher and community member who attended the funeral.
Deanna Othman: “We’re seeing the repercussions of the rhetoric that our government has been spouting and that, you know, a lot of media has been spouting regarding Palestinians, painting them as, you know, less than human. And so, unfortunately, this young boy has paid the ultimate price for that.”