A 6-year-old Palestinian American kid was stabbed to death by his landlord near Chicago on Sunday.
His 32-year-old mother, Hanan Shaheen, is in the hospital with more than a dozen stab wounds on her body.
The Council on American Islamic Relations says the boy had just celebrated his birthday a couple of weeks ago.
“He was a lovely boy who loved his family, his friends,” said Ahmed Rehab. “He loved soccer, he loved basketball and he paid the price for the atmosphere of hate.”
Police say Wadea Al-Fayoume was stabbed 26 times by 71-year-old Joseph Czuba, who was heard yelling, “You Muslims must die.”
The hate crime happened amidst rising tensions in the Israeli-Gaza war and the dehumanization of Palestinians across American media in the last week.
“If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-Semitic,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a presidential candidate.
While the mother remains in critical condition, the landlord has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two hate crime counts, and aggravated murder with a deadly weapon.
