US Presidential candidate Donald Trump, in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the country, mocked and toyed with Islam in his campaign and debates. Now, the same hatred-laden speeches are taking their toll in American society.
Though hate crimes have been going on in America for a while now, every now or then a story shocks us to the core with its cruelty and vileness.
Here is the story of a 7-year old Muslim boy who has been bruised and injured in Cary, the largest municipality in North Carolina, USA and that too outside his very own apartment building.
Why? Because he wouldn’t eat haraam food which his class fellow was forcing down his throat.
Abdul Aziz, a fifth grader, refused and paid the price. The classmates ganged up on him and kicked him while calling him “Muslim” as an insult, over and over while twisting his arm.
Abdul Aziz is the son of Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani, the data scientist and IT pioneer who developed PredictifyMe, a system that predicts where the next terrorist attack is likely to happen. Talk about a cruel twist of irony.
The family of Zeeshan-ul-Hassan Usmani has since then left U.S. and moved back to Pakistan to avoid future drama. The parents, Usmani and Binish Bhagwanee, of three innocent boys, told a media outlet that they couldn’t risk the life of their children by staying in the U.S.
Upon their return to Pakistan, a U.S. based newspaper took notice of the incident and conducted an interview via Skype. Usmani said of his son,
“He was born and raised [in the United States]. He was born in Florida. As American as you can think of. He likes Captain America. He wants to be president of the United States of America.”
“It’s very heartbreaking and sad,” said Usmani. “It’s not the America we know about, care about and want to live in.”
Usmani is a two times Fullbright Scholar who analyzed big data to prevent terror attacks. He is just like any other computer scientist, who has also won several awards in his field.
Their youngest son was not the only one was exposed to the hideous racial slurs. Their middle son, 8-years old, experienced something similar. He informed his parents that his classmates called his father, Usmani, a terrorist because he was a Pakistani with a beard.
“He asked me if I was a terrorist,” Usmani recalled. After that, Bhagwanee asked him not to go to the school anymore, “just so my children would not face any discrimination because of my face.”
Usmani’s oldest son, 14, once brought a knife into the school premises because of which he was suspended for six months from the school. Following the trend, he was the only one punished because he was Muslim. Slurs such as ISIS and terrorist were thrown towards him, scarring him for life. The school went on lockdown, Usmani added.
Things weren’t just awful at school for his children but also where the family resided. Usmani informed that one of his neighbors kept harassing with expletives. His wife was also threatened.
“He came to our apartment twice at midnight and at 2:00 AM, passing racial slurs, teaching us how to ‘behave’ and “’live in this country,’ mentioning Donald Trump and his desire to vote for him to kick us out of this country,” Usmani’s words in an email to the local police of Cary.
The neighbor did move away and the Cary Police Department proved to be of much help, he added.
Another incident Usmani mentioned was of the Iraq War veteran Russell Thomas Langford. He, Russell, came outside the mosque where Usmani and his sons go to pray and threatened to kill all of the Muslims inside and bury them behind the mosque. Usmani said that although he and his sons were not at the mosque that particular day, it was still a traumatizing incident which shook things in the community.
There have been countless incidents, according to Usmani which has made their living in the States near impossible. A man, whose life was dedicated to saving American lives, was mistreated and saw his family suffer all because a America is becoming intolerant towards immigrants who just want to serve their country as best as they could.
Via Huffington Post
I think USA is the most unsafe country in the world and it always has been. If you are living there by choice, you have to face the consequences.
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Did you read the entire source article? In it he says the only time he & his family was beaten up and mugged (all together) was in PAKISTAN. No one ever laid a hand on him or his wife or his other children (other than bus incident) in the US.
And what work does he do? He uses software models to predict where militants will come from. Now, are people safer from militants in US or in Pakistan? Are people who work against militants safer in US or Pakistan?
US Unsafe country in the world LOL LOL LOL
There are consequences to living in Pakistan, believe me.
Another client for Malik Riaz
Sorry what?
I mean like many skilled returning expatriates, he will buy a home in Bahria Town and fuel the economy of Pakistan. Good for the country.
Hahaha, very deep comment :P
Hahaha, well said!
Truly vouching for your statement.
Now every one can call america a terrorist state.
american now must understand, how people become terrorists.
When it comes to your country, kills innocent, bombs houses and much more. It is obvious that these situations will produce terrorists.
???
So who went to America, killed innocent, bombed houses, produced militants there?
Bhai if people beating up a child = terrorist country, then every gangster who lives in Lyari must totally make Pakistan a terrorist country
Good decision to come to Pakistan but here you will also pay the price. Secondly the Trump is not the need of US but forced to come where as in fact the people of US did not need such a bias to rule and decide the fate of the Americans.
Great article and very good and timely decision by Mr. Usmani. Pakistani brothers and sisters welcome you back to your homeland. The incidents mentioned does not portray the actual situation which i imagined could be even worse. May Allah help you and your family to rehabilitate and progress towards better living from now and onwards.. Ameen..!
“The incidents mentioned does not portray the actual situation which i imagined could be even worse.”
So the incident does not portray reality? Or the incident does not portray your IMAGINATION?
“Usmani’s oldest son, 14, once brought a knife into the school premises because of which he was suspended for six months from the school. ”
what was we expecting? a praise and Masha Allah for it?
In Pakistan we burn or kill the people of other religions.
Future of muslims would be more worst if trump become the next president of US.
Future of Muslims has nothing to do with US president. It has to do with what Muslims do, because as Allah has given us free will, we are responsible for our actions. Even in the middle of deadly war in Syria, The White Helmets (who are just as Muslim as Syrian government fighters and rebels) are doing good. Think of being like them, instead of worrying about man in Oval Room.
You should probably revise this story to include that it was all MADE UP. No evidence was ever found to corroborate what this man said happened to his son – news articles from a week or so later all tell the same story – he made the whole thing up.