THE last words of a six-year-old US Muslim boy stabbed to death in a suspected hate crime over the weekend were “Mom, I’m fine”, his uncle said as hundreds gathered to lay the child to rest.
On Monday, the Mosque Foundation in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview was filled to overflowing, with some paying their respects on the pavement outside.
Police say Wadea al-Fayoume was attacked because he was Muslim. His funeral was held as the family’s landlord appeared in court charged with the boy’s murder. The 71-year-old accused was allegedly upset about the Israel-Hamas war.
Mourners came from all over the area, some from much farther away, to express their grief and anger over the killing.
Wadea’s mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin, was seriously injured in the attack and was unable to attend her son’s funeral as she is recovering in hospital.
“I’m shocked but I’m not surprised,” said Sadia Nawab, a mother-of-three who lives near the mosque. “We’re worried about our children, and more worried about the powerless kids around the world that are in Palestine now, that are in Gaza.”
Ms Nawab said that local schools had taken extra precautions because of events in Israel and Gaza. And in a theme that many mourners repeated, she accused government leaders and media organisations of being biased against Palestinians and encouraging an atmosphere of hate.
An uncle and family spokesman, Yousef Hannon, said that before the killing “there was no signs of anything wrong” between the alleged perpetrator, Joseph Czuba, and the victims.
The boy and his mother lived in two rented rooms in a house owned by Mr Czuba, who had even come to Wadea’s birthday just a few weeks ago, Mr Hannon said.
“He was friendly to the whole family, but especially to the kid, who he treated like a grandson,” Mr Hannon told the BBC. “He brought him gifts, he brought him some toys.”
Mr Hannon said Wadea “loved his school, loved his teachers, loved his mother”.
“He loved life,” he said. “He was acting like a normal six-year-old child, always with a smile.”
Another uncle, Mahmoud Yousef, said: “When he [Wadea] was stabbed his last words to his mom were, ‘Mom, I’m fine.’ You know what, he is fine. He’s in a better place.”
A prosecutor said in a court filing that the landlord was angry at Wadea’s mother “for what was going on in Jerusalem”.
“She responded to him, ‘Let’s pray for peace,'” wrote Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Fitzgerald. “Czuba then attacked her with a knife.”