On October 14, 2023, in Plainfield Illinois, 71-year-old man Joseph Czuba fatally stabbed a six-year-old boy and injured his mother in the attack. In light of the war between Israel and Palestine, anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise in the United States. The conflict overseas has once again divided Americans between supporting Israel or Palestine, and as is evident now, this division has led to tragedy. Czuba stabbed the boy and mother and their home in the Plainfield Township about 35 miles southwest of Chicago.
Before this attack, Czuba had no problems with the two, even building a tree house for the six-year-old. If one thing is clear from this attack, it is how quickly someone can change their mind on something given the right conditions. Despite the fact that the war is between Israel and Hamas, people like Czuba still blame Palestinians for it leading to hate crimes such as this one. Unfortunately, this is not the first, and likely not the last time that hate crimes have taken the lives of innocent people. This attack reflects the mentality of some Americans after the September 11th terrorist attacks who began to hate Muslims, as they held all Muslims responsible for the acts of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Similarly, many Asian Americans were victims of hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic as people in the United States, as well as around the world believed all Asians were responsible for the virus.
Members of the community have come together to hold protests denouncing this type of behavior and holding vigils in support of both Palestinians and Israelis in an attempt to unify one another and end these horrific attacks. No matter who you support in the war occurring in the Middle East, it should never come down to harming one another on the basis of race or religion.
-Josh Geller
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/15/slaying-muslim-child-illinois-war-00121649
9 comments:
This is a devastating story that really showcases how war can affect a multitude of places in so many ways. I found it shocking how the murderer was so friendly with this family before and even built a treehouse for them. His feelings changed so quickly because of the actions of others on a completely different continent. There seems to have been a rise in anti-Palestinian sentiment with the Israel-Hamas war. It is scary how open some are with their hatred. I have even witnessed hate speech online directed toward Palestinian people. It is clear that our country still has a lot of work to do in educating our society properly to end ignorance like this. If a six-year-old boy is not safe in his own home, something is clearly wrong in our society.
This same story has had so many different variations: like you mentioned, AAPI hate at the height of the pandemic, but also South Asian hate after 9/11, Japanese-American hate after Pearl Harbor, and plenty more examples throughout American history. The main difference with those examples, though, is that they had a direct impact on America. With the Israel-Palestine war, though there is some indirect impact through people with ties to those regions and America's involvement in trying to negotiate peace between the nations, it is clear to most that Americans of any skin color are not really actively involved with the war. The fact that someone who previously had a good relationship with someone would suddenly turn on them mercilessly is horrifying. The fact that this man knew about the kind nature of his neighbors and appreciated them, yet suddenly turned on them for actions they were barely connected to, is concerning to say the least. Though nowhere near complete, I believe America was making some progress in eroding some of the anti-Muslim sentiment from 2001, but this incident will surely hinder the efforts.
As Lipika said, it is outrageous that neighbors would do this to each other. Czuba was in very good standing with the two; he built a treehouse for them. But after the conflict between Israel and Hamas, he completely switched up, going from friendly neighbor to murderer. It is not sound, but unfortunately, it is part of the world we live in. He killed a kid, who of course, is innocent. And it was only for his religious beliefs, that he committed this atrocity. He literally admitted it as his motive, which is deeply disturbing. Just by being Muslim, people are risking their lives, not even by stepping out of their homes, but just by existing.
This story is a horrific demonstration of the effects of the way ignorance breeds violence. Czuba was someone who was ostensibly friendly to the family, but was likely ignorant to their culture. When the war broke out, that ignorance bred fear, that the family was a danger to his community--which they were not at all. That fear then bred violence, which led to the brutal killing of a 6 year old child. The problem with American polarization on issues like these, and the many analogues that Lipi mentioned, is that at the heart of the polarization exists a deep ignorance for many people. People who take a violently Islamophobic stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict are likely completely ignorant of how American-Palestinians actually feel about Hamas. Likewise, those who take a violently anti-Israel stance share that same ignorance toward Israelis and Jewish people. This story highlights the importance of media staying accurate, nuanced, and educational, rather than sensational. Sensationalism plus a lack of education leads to ignorance, which leads to violence and death.
This incident is extremely disturbing and it is very saddening to see the state to which our society has come to. In what way can a 6-year-old child be seen as a threat? There is absolutely nothing that can justify the death of this child along with all the other children who have died or are at the risk of dying in Palestine and Israel. Children being the victims because of this war is pathetic, they are innocent beings who did nothing wrong, and killing is not the answer to any issue. Especially not killing young children.
It seems hate like this never subsides in this country, despite being thousands of miles away, in a conflict not directly affecting many Americans, it seems hate can always stretch the distance. Although these instances may seem tragic outliers they are altogether too indicative of societal divide than many may make it seem. Conflicts like that in the middle east today lead to a toll on American and Human life that is tragic and show that violence is not the solution for any of the sides. We can only hope for a fast resolution that leads to less violence in the middle east and between Americans.
As previously mentioned, war takes a nasty toll on the mentality of many people. I attribute these extreme beliefs to making false connections and having an ill sense of superiority. With false connections, people can connect two of the most unrelated variables. How is a child born in America going to have any impact on the war across the seas? With their beliefs, people impulsively jump to conclusions performing dreaful actions. In addition, some people believe they can act outrageously due to their own sense of superiority. By eliminating what they believe is "plaguing" the current society, the world will become a better place. Though that is completely wrong, tending to act off of being superior to others tends to be a regrettably common trend. Racial equality cannot be emphasized enough as there is still much judgment and hate towards each other. Of course though it will never be perfect, working towards better racial equality is the first step towards eliminating horrible situations such as these in the future.
I think it’s interesting that you tie this to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Though I do see the connection, I think they’re very different circumstances: while 9/11 was a direct attack on America, the war does not directly involve the US (indirectly, yes, of course, as does everything these days). Though apples and oranges can’t be compared, this difference further emphasizes the utter wickedness of the actions described in the article—a manifestation of the hate that is spreading all across the nation. Think about it: a man living in America, likely in support of Hamas, KILLED a 6-YEAR-OLD boy who was NOT Israeli, did NOT live or was even born in Israel, did NOT have anything to do with the war whatsoever, but who was simply a Muslim Palestinian. And he was killed, in the name of hatred. It’s scary to say, but the war is breeding uncontrollable terror, and doing so fast. This “culture of hate” is dangerous on another level for all citizens, and why I think it’s important to stay informed and be socially and politically woke.
This tragic story highlights the far-reaching impact of war on various communities. It's alarming how the perpetrator, once friendly and even building a treehouse for the family, quickly changed due to actions on a different continent. The Israel-Hamas conflict appears to have contributed to a rise in anti-Palestinian sentiment, evident in openly expressed hatred and online hate speech. This underscores the urgent need for better education in our society to eliminate such ignorance. The fact that a six-year-old boy isn't safe in his own home indicates significant societal issues that need to be addressed.
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