Warning: The article contains details of a murder. Please proceed with caution.
The case of the tragic murder of six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume has finally concluded, with a 53-year sentence for the convicted Joseph Czuba.
The case first rose to national prominence when the gory details were released by the police. Czuba had a home in Plainfield, about 40 miles from Chicago, where he had rented rooms to Al-Fayoume’s family. Everything changed once the events of October 7th, 2023, happened. Czuba’s now ex-wife said that the ongoing Gaza war and its overall coverage left him agitated — and that’s presumably when Czuba’s Islamophobic thoughts started surfacing.
At first, BBC reports, Czuba asked Al-Fayoume’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, if she could vacate his property — which Czuba also lived at. That quickly escalated to him breaking into Shaheen’s room and telling her that she must die because she’s Muslim. Czuba then proceeded to stab Shaheen a dozen times, and when she ran away to try and get help, Czuba turned his attention to Al-Fayoume and stabbed him 26 times, leading to his death.
When police finally arrived on the scene, they found Czuba outside the house, covered in blood. The case finally got to court in February 2025, and although he initially pleaded not guilty, his lawyers argued that evidence was missing from the prosecution’s findings and brought his ex-wife as a witness, where she shared that Czuba had rarely shown violent outbursts in the 30 years they’d been married. However, it only took the jury an hour and a half of deliberation to find him guilty.
Al-Fayoume’s father released a statement saying he’s not sure whether he should be pleased or upset. According to him, the decision came in a little late. When the tragic murder first happened in October 2023, the Mosque Foundation in Chicago was understandably dismayed by the events that took place in Plainfield. According to another BBC report, some members expressed that they’re not surprised by the tragic murder but still find it shocking. They also expressed worry for powerless kids around the world, including Palestine.
President Trump instead responded to such pleas of people he currently leads by releasing a tone-deaf AI video of him turning Gaza into a beachside resort with a golden statue of himself. Tragic as the President’s priorities seem, this all checks out for someone who plans on throwing himself a 100-million-dollar birthday party.
But perhaps the most important thing expressed by the foundation was a plea to government leaders to stop encouraging an atmosphere of hate. It’s been two years since these events happened, and sadly, their plea fell on deaf ears, considering how Trump is treating universities for protesting over the war. Online debates might seem benign and simply a game of one-upmanship, but in real life, where people live their actual lives and are influenced by what’s said by leaders — this all could be a matter of life and death.
The most tragic piece of the story is when Al-Fayoume’s uncle shared with the press that his last words to his mother were, “Mom, I’m fine.” His family shared that the boy had just celebrated his sixth birthday and enjoyed soccer and basketball.
Published: May 3, 2025 06:22 am