Oday Al Fayoume with a photo of his son Wadea Al Fayoume.Photo:Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo
Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo
Hanaan Shahin, 32, was released from the hospital less than two weeks after her landlord Joseph Czuba allegedly attacked her and her son Wadea Al-Fayoume in a stabbing spree,killing the six-year-oldin what authorities have alleged was a hate attack connected to the war betweenIsrael and Hamas.
“He was my best friend,” Shahin has said about her son following her release, according to a statement from the Chicago branch of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago said Shahin reminisced about Wadea, his sense of humor and how the young boy “cared for the planet,” per the statement.
Wadea Al-Fayoume.CAIR National/X
CAIR National/X
Rehab added that Wadea was a smart child who also liked to join his mother in her prayer. Shahin is finding peace in “remembering Wadea as an angel on earth, and knowing that he is now an angel in heaven,” according to the statement.
TheWill County Sheriff’s Officesaid earlier this month that Czuba, 71, of Plainfield Township, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
It’s not clear if he has entered a plea, and PEOPLE has not been able to reach his lawyer.
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In the statement released on Tuesday, Rehab said Shahin has made a speedy recovery that “stunned” her medical attendants, given the nature and extent of her attack.
Shahin, who works as a caregiver for seniors, inquired about Czuba’s wife’s well-being while she was hospitalized, the statement says. She has called for justice and for others to join her to “pray for peace,” and does not harbor anger about the attack.
In a tribute on a fundraising platform, Wadea was remembered for all that he loved and enjoyed doing.
“Wadea was not just any child; he was a bright and energetic young boy who loved basketball and soccer,” read aLaunchgood fundraiserthat was started immediately after the killing. “He liked swings and coloring. He loved his family and his friends, he loved life.”
source: people.com
