Israel vs Hamas | Mother of 6-year-old hate crime victim asks world to 'pray for peace'

Trigger warning: Some readers may find details of this report disturbing. Discretion is advised

The mother of the six-year-old Muslim boy, who last week became the unfortunate victim of a hate crime in Illinois, United States,has issued her first statement since the tragic slaying.

Hanan Shaheen, the mother of Palestinian boy Wadea Al-Fayoume has urged the public to "pray for peace".

Mother released from hospital

The 36-year-old woman has been released from the hospital, where she was receiving treatment for the many wounds she had suffered in the attack. Her son was stabbed 26 times, while as per the sheriff's office, she herself suffered a dozen wounds.

As per the head of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the US' largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, Shaheen when asked if she had anything to convey to the public said: "Just... pray for peace".

CAIR Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, as per ABC News, also said that when talking about her son, the grieving mother said, "He was my best friend".

"We spent most of our time together listening to her recounting stories of how smart and funny her boy was, and how he cared for the planet and always liked to join her in prayer," he added.

'An angel on Earth'

Rehab in a statement said that the mother of the slain boy is focusing on her "physical and mental recuperation" and that she is recovering well from her injuries.

"Despite the painful loss and the trauma she experienced that morning, her spirit is strong, and she is finding peace and answers in her faith in God," said the CAIR-Chicago Executive Director.

"She said that she accepts that God chose them for this test — and that she finds solace in 'remembering Wadea as an angel on earth, and knowing that he is now an angel in heaven.'"

The 'murderer'

The man behind the senseless attack has been identified as 71-year-old Joseph Czuba, a US Air Force veteran.

He has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon along with two counts of committing a hate crime.

The attack and the motive

As per the police, the little boy was attacked because he was Muslim.

In a court filing, Assistant State's Attorney Michael Fitzgerald alleged that Czuba, who was the landlord to the Muslim family, was angry at the little boy's mother "for what was going on in Jerusalem."

"She responded to him, 'Let's pray for peace,'" wrote the prosecutors.

"Czuba then attacked her with a knife," they added.

They claim that the landlord grew paranoid about the presence of the Palestinian-American family in his house.

(With inputs from agencies)

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