USPCN statement on the hate crime murder of baby Wadea

For Immediate Release: Monday, October 16th, 2023

Media contact: Hatem Abudayyeh, USPCN National Chair, 773.301.4108, [email protected]

USPCN statement on the hate crime murder of baby Wadea

On October 15th, 2023, in Plainfield, Illinois, Hanaan Shahin and her six-year-old son Wadea Al-Fayoume were mercilessly attacked by their landlord, 71-year-old Joseph Czuba, in a hate crime targeting their Palestinian-Muslim identity. Hanaan is in critical condition in the hospital, and we are heartbroken to report that the precious Wadea died after being stabbed 26 times by Czuba. Hannan and Wadea had lived on the ground floor for two years with no previous notable issues.

According to text messages sent to Wadea’s father by his mother Hanna from the hospital, their landlord Czuba had been angry due to the recent coverage of Palestine on the news, leading him to knock on their door and attack them while yelling, “You Muslims must die!” Hanaan was choked and stabbed and escaped to the bathroom to call 911, only to come out of the bathroom and find that Czuba had stabbed Wadea 26 times. “It all happened in seconds,” she texted. Hanaan is currently in critical condition in the hospital, fighting for her life.

USPCN offers its most sincere condolences to Hanaan and Wadea’s father on the loss of their beautiful child, and we are hoping for Hanaan’s full recovery. We also want to make it clear – this attack on Hanaan and Wadea, leading to Wadea’s murder, was caused by anti-Palestinian sentiment in the U.S. and all over the media this past week. Politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, have helped to embolden racist beliefs against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims by passing anti-Palestinian resolutions, including our own city council members in Chicago, and uplifting law enforcement’s calls for “heightened awareness” of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims in U.S. neighborhoods. 

Every politician that has spoken up in vicious condemnation of the Palestinian people and their right to self defense against Israeli war crimes has blood on their hands – from Joe Biden and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. Palestinians have been called uncivilized, terrorists, and animals on news outlets, and that, along with mass condemnation from politicians, has created a hostile, racist atmosphere that led to this intentional and tragic hate crime.

We know that the U.S. is an imperialist state that was built on white supremacy and colonization, and that it is Israel’s biggest ally and funder. As U.S. legislators and the media irresponsibly use racist rhetoric, audiences all over the country are emboldened to target Palestinian and Arab communities, including in so-called blue states like Illinois. This propaganda is no different than Trump’s Make America Great Again Campaign, which brought out white supremacists who en masse attacked Black and other communities of color, leading to mass shootings in churches and the murder of immigrants trying to find safety for themselves and their families. 

Wadea’s murder was caused by news outlets like CNN, the New York Times, and others, who have purposely spread fake news about Palestinians to their millions of watchers, in an effort to defend Israel’s active genocide of Palestinians on the ground. Similar to post 9/11, we are seeing a smear campaign being led by the U.S. and the rest of the West, including liberals, against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims, which is only encouraging violent and de-humanizing hate crimes like the murder of Wadea and the stabbing of his mother.

USPCN demands an end to vicious and racist statements about the Palestinian people from legislators and the media, and calls for the community and allies to be vigilant and organized in defending and protecting our people in the U.S.

Wadea Al-Fayoume, ¡Presente! May he Rest In Power!

Until Liberation and Return,

U.S. Palestinian Community  Network (USPCN)

Monday, October 16th, 2023