Teen in US beaten, called ''terrorist'' for being Muslim
A teenage Muslim boy in America has revealed how his life was made a living hell by four classmates, who called him a “terrorist” and beat him up every chance they got.
The victim, a 16-year-old high school freshman, had been afraid to tell anyone of the incidents at the Staten Island public school.
The bullying began when the thugs first called him gay and quickly escalated to him being battered for his Muslim heritage and blamed for terrorist bombings.
“They punched me in my groin, and I fell to the floor. They started kicking me, and calling me ‘You f---in’ terrorist,’ ‘You f---in’ Muslim’,” the New York Daily News quoted Kristian, whose last name has been withheld for protection, as saying.
The American-born boy, an only child of Trinidadian immigrants, said the abuse began in October 2009 while he was a student at the Edwin Markham Intermediate School.
He said the almost-daily abuse didn’t end until he graduated from the school in June. He finally told his father when he began his freshman year last month at Port Richmond High School and saw two of the bullies sitting in one of his classes.
The matter was reported to the police and the four suspects, three 14-year-old Latinos and a 15-year-old African-American, were arrested on charges of assault and aggravated harassment — both as hate crimes. They are expected to be formally charged as minors.
Kristian’s father Shaffiate said that his son a once-promising student and gifted piano player, has given up music and his grades have suffered. “He’s afraid to go outside alone,” the father added.
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