President Biden Meets With Mom Of Boy Killed In Plainfield Hate Crime

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Plainfield Township woman whose son was stabbed to death in an alleged hate crime in October 2023 met with President Joe Biden earlier this week.

On Oct. 14, 2023, Wadee Alfayoumi was stabbed 26 times, and his mother, Hanan Shaheen, was seriously injured in an attack that prosecutors say was motivated by hatred against their Palestinian heritage, Patch reported.

The family's 72-year-old landlord, Joseph Czuba, was accused of the murder and remains jailed on eight charges, including several charges of committing a hate crime and multiple counts of first-degree murder and aggravated assault. Czuba's trial is set to begin at the end of February.

On Tuesday, Shaheen and legislative attorney Maaria Mozaffar met with Biden for "an intimate exchange ... on the powerful impact of dehumanization in our nation, political rhetoric, false narratives, and the decisions still yet to be made as President Biden executes his final days in his term and cements his legacy," the nonprofit Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) shared with Patch.

Mozaffar authored the congressional resolution that acknowledged Wadee was "a victim of a hate crime for his Palestinian-Muslim identity." The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the resolution, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin, in September 2024. Mozaffar advocated for Biden to meet with Shaheen in person, according to the IMEU.

Shaheen and Mozaffar spent three hours at the White House, meeting with senior administration officials for more than an hour and with Biden for a few minutes, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times.

"We see this as an opportunity for an honest exchange providing moral clarity at one of the most difficult times in our nation due to the rise of Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian and anti-Semitic hate due to political rhetoric and false narratives tied to the devastating crisis in the Middle East and Gaza," Mozaffar said, per the IMEU. "So much can still be done to end dehumanization and the violence that follows it. Wadee Al Fayoumi is one of the greatest tragedies of hate in recent history."

In a letter Mozaffar penned to Biden, shared with Patch, the attorney called on the 46th president to "not allow the culture of dehumanization to fuel hate crimes at home and allow violent aggression against children abroad," referencing the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

"As you end your term, we remind you of your own words in the beautiful eulogy you gave at the funeral of Late President Carter: 'Jimmy Carter's life taught me that the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. It's the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect. That everyone deserves an even shot. We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor.'

She continued: "Mr. President, dehumanization leads to nothing more than hateful stripping of one’s dignity. False narratives of a people leave our youngest and brightest to be mischaracterized on who they are. Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians, and Jews all deserve safety and equal protection in their homes, places of work, and schools. We ask you to stand firm on the truth for the sake of justice, challenge rhetoric that falsely paints communities with broad strokes intended to deceive and divide. We ask you to commit to the protection of innocent children here and abroad. Mr. President, we ask you to continue to center the soul of America in these last few days with the same heart you began your career in public service, one that uplifts our nation to meet our ideals of our shared humanity."

Read: More of Patch's coverage of the Plainfield hate crime.