Honoring Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy, murdered as a victim of a hate crime for his Palestinian Muslim identity, in the State of Illinois, United States.

This resolution recognizes the loss of Wadee Alfayoumi and that the United States has zero tolerance for hate crimes, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab discrimination. It also recognizes that freedom of speech and peaceful protest are constitutionally protected.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 942 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 942

 Honoring Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy, murdered as a 
  victim of a hate crime for his Palestinian Muslim identity, in the 
                   State of Illinois, United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2023

Mrs. Ramirez (for herself, Ms. Underwood, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Ms. 
 Jacobs) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy, murdered as a 
  victim of a hate crime for his Palestinian Muslim identity, in the 
                   State of Illinois, United States.

Whereas Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian Muslim-American boy, was loved 
        by his family and friends as an energetic, loving, and joyous light who 
        brought sunshine to his loved ones and classmates;
Whereas, on October 16, 2023, at 11:30 a.m., Wadee Alfayoumi was brutally 
        stabbed 26 times by a hate-driven perpetrator and tragically succumbed 
        to his injuries;
Whereas Wadee Alfayoumi's perpetrator has been indicted for a hate crime by the 
        Will County, Illinois, grand jury, as there is evidence the perpetrator 
        yelled during the brutal killing, ``All Muslims should die'' and has 
        been observed to be a consumer of media containing dehumanizing and 
        hateful rhetoric that was anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian;
Whereas Wadee Alfayoumi's family wanted the United States to be his home and to 
        provide Wadee a life of safety away from dehumanizing and hateful 
        rhetoric toward Palestinian people, and it is a tragedy that the same 
        dehumanization Wadee's family sought to escape abroad contributed to the 
        loss of his life in the United States;
Whereas no one should be a target of hate because of their ethnicity or 
        religion, expressed verbally or through how one dresses including, but 
        not limited to, the wearing of a hijab, keffiyeh, turban, mitpahat, 
        tichel, shpitzel, sheitel, kippah, and yarmulke;
Whereas dehumanizing misinformation and disinformation fuels sentiments of hate 
        that result in violence against those who belong or who are perceived to 
        belong to a certain ethnic or religious group;
Whereas the Palestinian community's migration to the United States dates back to 
        the late 19th century;
Whereas the United States is home to one of the largest Palestinian diasporas in 
        the world that is made up of lawyers, doctors, teachers, business 
        owners, law enforcement, and others, all who contribute to the history, 
        arts, commerce, promise, and character of this great Nation;
Whereas Wadee Alfayoumi shared a heritage, history, love, culture, tradition, 
        and brilliance belonging to the Palestinian people and was a symbol of 
        another great Palestinian life full of promise;
Whereas Palestinian children, Israeli children, United States children, and all 
        children across the globe deserve to live in peace and be free from 
        discrimination, hate crimes, and violence; and
Whereas the Israel-Hamas war has had a devastating impact on children, at one 
        point the war resulting in a child dying every 10 minutes, according to 
        the World Health Organization: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That House of Representatives recognizes that--
            (1) the United States lost the beautiful light of Wadee 
        Alfayoumi because of hate;
            (2) it is the duty of elected officials and media to tell 
        the truth without dehumanizing rhetoric when informing the 
        public of factual information;
            (3) freedom of speech and peaceful protest are 
        constitutionally protected and a fundamental cornerstone of 
        democracy; and
            (4) the United States has zero tolerance for hate crimes, 
        Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab 
        discrimination.
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