Illinois Man Gets 53 Years for Hate-Motivated Murder of Muslim Child
A 73-year-old Illinois man, Joseph Czuba, was sentenced to 53 years in prison for the 2023 hate-fueled stabbing that killed 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and severely wounded his mother, Hanan Shaheen, Iqna reported. The attack occurred days after the Israel-Hamas war began, with prosecutors citing Czuba’s anti-Muslim bias as the motive.
Czuba, the family’s landlord, suddenly told Shaheen, “You, as a Muslim, must die,” before stabbing her over a dozen times and fatally attacking Wadee, leaving a knife embedded in the child’s body. The boy, of Palestinian descent, was stabbed 26 times.
On Friday, a judge imposed consecutive sentences: 30 years for murder, 20 for attempted murder, and 3 for hate crimes. Shaheen survived after weeks of recovery.
The case sparked national outrage, with CAIR-Chicago calling it a “measure of accountability.” Wadee’s funeral drew widespread mourning, and a local playground was named in his memory. The tragedy highlights rising anti-Muslim violence in the U.S., with similar attacks increasing since 2023.
