IN a deeply shocking and distressing incident that unfolded in the United States of America, a six-year-old Palestinian Muslim American boy was stabbed to death, and his mother was gravely injured in a horrific hate crime.This heinous act, clearly motivated by the ongoing flare-up in Israel, highlights the tragic consequences of bigotry and prejudice. The alleged criminal, Joseph Czuba, has since been charged with murder, attempted murder and two counts of a hate crime, shedding light on the alarming rise of hate-related violence in and across the US.

The victims of this horrendous crime had been residingforyearsin the quiet neighbourhood of Plainfield in suburban Illinois, where they should have felt safe and secure. On that fateful day, the tranquillity of the suburban community was traumatised when Czuba, the man who had rented a room to the victims, brutally attacked them.

The boy, named Wadea Al-Fayoume (pictured on the left), was viciously stabbed to death, while his mother sustained severeinjuries,leavingherin a critical condition. The motives behind the gruesome act were deeply rooted in the ongoing madness in the Middle East, turning a peaceful neighbourhood into a scene of unspeakable horror.

The heinous nature of this crime lies in its motivation, fuelled, as it was, by hatred on the basis of one`s religion and origin. The ongoing escalation in Palestine spilled over into a suburban neighbourhood far away, causing the young boy and his mother to suffer the consequences of aninternationalcrisis they were not directly involved in.

The attack by an American underscores the dangers of allowingviolence and hatred to persist. The assailant faces severe charges, including murder and attempted murder, reflecting the gravity of his actions.

The hate crime charges serve as a poignant reminder of the need for society to confront and combat the risingtrend ofhate-related violence.

It is imperative that individuals who perpetrate such crimes be held accountablefor their actions,and justice must be served. The tragic incident serves as a stark reminder that hatred knows no boundaries, affecting innocent lives even in the most peaceful and unexpected places.

The crime underscores the need for communities, law-enforcement agencies and society atlarge to address and combat the deep-seated prejudices that can lead to such devastating acts. The tragedy should compel us to stand against racism and discrimination, and to work towards a world where no individual is harmed or persecuted because of ethnicity, religion or heritage. It is a call to action for a more inclusive, compassionate society that prioritises unity and understanding over division and hatred.

While we must condemn such horror, what is saddening is that the bloody incident has hardly elicited response in the Muslim world, leave alone the US. While violence by a Muslim is deemed `terrorism` by the West, this incident was considered just a `murder` in the US, which has been waging theso-called `war on terror` for several decades. It is this biased approach that needstochange,and changerather quickly, becasue, as things stand today, it is only widening the already wide gulf between the West and the Muslims.

Attiya Ghani Lawrenceville, USA