Trump supporter kills 6-year-old Muslim American yet Trump not only refuses to condemn attack, he incites more anti-Muslim hate

How much more MAGA terrorism must we endure?!

6-year-old Muslim American child Wadea Al-Fayoume who was murdered by a Trump supporter

On Saturday, 6-year-old Muslim American child Wadea Al-Fayoume was savagely murdered and his mother brutally stabbed by a 71 year-old, white Trump loving man who was radicalized by right wing media and GOP politicians. Yet not only has Trump not denounced this latest act of MAGA terrorism on US soil, he used his speech just two days later in Iowa to incite more hate of Muslims.

First, let’s talk about Wadea, who was born in the United States and had just days before celebrated his sixth birthday. A student at Central Elementary School in Plainfield, Illinois, Wadea was known by friends and neighbors as a Lego-loving, soccer fan who was full of life and spunk. He loved swimming, jumping and playing games. He should have been in school this past Monday. Instead, he was being buried.

The killer, Joseph Czuba, who stabbed the small child 26 times with a seven-inch military style knife was no stranger to Wadea nor his mother, Hanaan Shahin, who he also stabbed more than a dozen times. He was their landlord and in the past had been very kind to Wadea.

But then the war in the Middle East broke out between Israel and Hamas. Czuba—who had in past posted numerous Trump signs on his lawn—had become hyper focused with the conflict. As his wife Mary told the police after the arrest, he "listens to conservative talk radio on a regular basis" and became obsessed with the war between Hamas and Israel.” In fact, on the day before Saturday’s attack, his wife noted her husband was concerned with right wing media reports about the “day of jihad” that a former Hamas leader allegedly called for happening this past Friday. That caused him to became increasingly concerned about his Muslim tenants.

That takes us to Saturday when Czuba confronted Wadea’s mother saying, "he was angry at her for what was going on" in Israel. He told her, “You are killing our kids in Israel. You Palestinians don’t deserve to live." She responded, “let's pray for peace.” Czuba then began to stab her and her child with the large knife.

After the attack, Shahin asked her son whether he was okay. Wadea looked up at his mother and said, “I am fine, mama.” Those were his last words.

The police stated after the brutal attack, "Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."  Czuba has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, battery and hate crimes.

How did this Trump supporter go from a grandfatherly type of figure for the 6-year-old Wadea to his killer? Simple, he had already been conditioned for years thanks to people like Trump to hate or at least distrust Muslims. In fact, Trump’s 2016 run for president was the most openly anti-Muslim campaign in US history with Trump lying that Muslim Americans cheered on 9/11 to saying Muslims Americans were hiding the terrorists in our community. Trump then made his infamous call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” Trump’s proposed ban of a religious group entering the United States was supported by nearly two-thirds of GOP voters at the time.

The real world impact of Trump’s campaign of demonization was that hate crimes against Muslim Americans in 2016 surpassed those seen in the United States in the year after the 9/11 terrorist attack.  Over time, the number of hate crimes—while still concerning—decreased from the alarming levels caused by Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Then came the current Middle East war that has unleashed a tsunami of anti-Muslim, as well as anti-Palestinian--rhetoric from GOP officials and the right-wing media.  For example, in the days before the murder, GOP Senator Lindsey Graham was on Fox News declaring: “We’re in a religious war here. I am with Israel. Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place.”  (I’m not sure what religions Graham is saying are fighting given there are thousands of Palestinian Christians in Gaza and hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Christians in the West bank together with Muslims.)

Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio demanded that for Israel there be “no diplomatic solution or “measured response” available.”  He then defended the potential killing of Palestinian Christian and Muslim civilians by the Israeli military noting, “This tragically necessary effort will come at a horrifying price.”    

Over on right wing media, the non-stop dehumanization of Muslims and Palestinians focused on this past Friday’s alleged “Day of jihad” that the MAGA terrorist who killed 6-year-old Wadea was particularly concerned about--as his wife noted.  It didn’t matter that the former Hamas leader’s call for a “day of jihad” was mistranslated by the media. He only called for protests, not violence and never used term “Day of jihad”--that term was coined by the right. Also lost in this was that Muslim Americans don’t care what this former Hamas leader has to say. But right-wing media saw this as an opportunity to gin up anti-Muslim hate since it plays so well with the GOP audience.

Sean Hannity on his Fox News show declared October 13 had “officially been designated as a day of jihad — that means holy war — by Hamas leaders.” That was echoed by Fox News host Jesse Watters and Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren who complained about the lack of law enforcement to “help monitor” the “international day of Jihad.”

Another of many other examples of this demonization came from Trump ultra-supporter and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk who on Friday cited the “global day of jihad” to say that “we have invited some of the most disgusting people on the planet into the West.” Kirk added he hopes “something bad does not happen tomorrow” but that “we shouldn’t be surprised” if it does.”

Well Kirk was right, something “bad” did happen the next day. That is when Trump supporter Czuba stabbed 6-year-old Wadea to death and almost killed his mother.

And how did Trump respond to the news that one of his own had yet again committed a violent crime in furtherance of the MAGA philosophy of hating anyone not like them?  Did he denounce the attack? Express sympathy to the family of 6-year-old Wadea? Of course not.

Trump did what he always does, which is serve up hate to his bigoted base to score points. That is why at a speech in Iowa on Monday—just two days after his own supporter killed the six-year-old child—Trump called for an even broader Muslim ban that he had imposed as President. Trump—who is out on bail--told  the cheering crowd of supporters, “We aren’t bringing in anyone from Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen or Libya or anywhere else that threatens our security.” He added, “In my second term, we’re going to expand each and every one of those bans.”

Trump then doing is best to gin up more concerns of Muslim Americans claimed as President he would deport anyone with “jihadist sympathies.”   

Of course, this is the same Trump who has not only defended the MAGA terrorists who attacked our Capitol on Jan 6 as part of his efforts to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election, he has pledge to pardon them if elected.

Trump’s comments Monday were swiftly condemned by DNC Chairman Jamie Harrison who stated, “In the wake of a horrific murder of a 6-year-old Muslim child, Donald Trump is doubling down on the same Islamophobic rhetoric that has done nothing but sow chaos and breed violence.” Harrison added, Trump is “now exploiting fear and anxiety in a shameless attempt to revive his widely rejected, extreme Muslim ban.”

In contrast to Trump, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker swiftly denounced the murder stating, “To take a six year old child’s life in the name of bigotry is nothing short of evil.”  President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden also loudly condemned the brutal murder, declaring that they were “shocked and sickened” by the murder, adding, “This horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values.”

While the killing of Wadea was the most brutal anti-Muslim incident, over the weekend, Michigan man Carl Mintz was arrested after posting a threat on social media against Palestinian residents in Dearborn. In New York, Arab Americans walking on the sidewalk reported being attacked by young men waving Israeli flags. Muslim leaders in Metro Detroit said they've seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats towards their community.  And leaders from Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian American groups told CNN in the days since Hamas’ surprise attack they’ve seen “an increase in attacks reported against their communities, including vandalism, bullying at school and in the workplace, and threatening phone calls.”

None of this will deter Trump, the GOP or right-wing media from their jihad of hate versus Muslims and Palestinians. After all, this is what their base loves to hear.

---