Accused of murdering Palestinian boy was a family friend and used to play with the boy, says grandfather

Hundreds of people gathered at a basketball court in Plainfield, Illinois, in the United States, on Tuesday (17), to mark the love of Wadea Al-Fayoume for sport, in honor of the 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy who authorities say was stabbed to death because he was Muslim.

The boy’s father, Oday Al-Fayoume spoke briefly to the crowd in Arabic, explaining that much of what he knows about the English language he learned from his son.

“With Wadea’s death, I think there is no more space for me to speak English,” he said.

He pointed to a photo on display of his son celebrating his birthday days before he was killed and asked: “Do you know what Wadea is doing in this photo?”

“He was waiting for me to complete half of the heart I was making,” said the father, raising his hand and curling his fingers to complete the heart shape.

Wadea was stabbed 26 times in his home by the homeowner on Saturday, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said. His mother, Hanaan Shahin 32, also suffered more than a dozen stab wounds but survived, authorities said.

The mother and son were “targeted by the suspect because they are Muslims and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Hamas and the Israelis,” the sheriff’s office said.

The 71-year-old suspect was charged with murder and hate crimes, among other charges. The attack is also being investigated by the Department of Justice as a hate crime.

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Wadea was born in the United States and his parents are from a West Bank village, according to the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“What you see is an all-American boy,” he said. Juhie Faheem member of the Will County Board of Mental Health.

“He did not wear a sign or necklace stating that he was Muslim. He had a smile on his face, stating that he was a child – a child full of love and not hate.”

Several children attended Tuesday’s vigil, including a boy who held a sign that said, “I am not a threat,” with a colorful drawing of a Palestinian flag.

Cynthia Glass mother of Wadea’s best friend, spoke through tears about how her son Dexter was mostly nonverbal and “Wadea” was one of his first words.

“These are two boys who will never be able to play together again. They will never be able to sit next to each other in class again. They will never be able to ride the bus together again,” said the mother.

“We need to learn from these two sweet children,” said Glass, receiving a hug from Wadea’s father.

The vigil had a moment of silence and prayer, led by Imam Hassan Aly .

“Wadea is a name that means peaceful, but he hasn’t been able to experience peace in this world,” Aly said.

“But we firmly believe that he now rests in eternal peace alongside the innocent children of Gaza and other innocent children and civilians who have recently lost their lives to violence.”