In a tragic incident that has reignited concerns of anti-Islamic discrimination within the Palestinian community in Chicago, the father of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy who was fatally stabbed has recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Oday Al-Fayoume, the grieving father, took legal action against Joseph Czuba, the suburban Chicago landlord who allegedly carried out the hate crime, resulting in the death of his son and serious injuries to the boy's mother, Hanaan Shahin.

The attack, which occurred on October 14th, has drawn widespread condemnation, including from the White House, and has raised fears among the large Palestinian community in the Chicago area. Authorities claim that Joseph Czuba, aged 71, deliberately targeted Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother due to their Muslim faith, using the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas as a catalyst for his actions. Czuba, who pleaded not guilty in October to hate crime and murder charges, now faces a wrongful death lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed on November 21st in Will County, also names Joseph Czuba's wife, Mary Czuba, and their property management company, Discerning Property Management. According to the lawsuit, Joseph Czuba instructed his wife to inform Shahin that he wanted the family evicted from the apartment they had been living in for two years. He allegedly expressed concerns that Shahin's "Palestinian friends were going to harm them." The lawsuit accuses Mary Czuba and the property management company of failing to recognize the threat and prevent serious harm to their tenants.

A hearing for the wrongful death case is scheduled for March 11th. Ben Crane, the lawyer representing Oday Al-Fayoume, stated, "Justice comes in many forms... and there is, obviously, unbelievable loss in Wadea, but his mother also was seriously injured, and we believe that there are avenues to recover compensation for what the family's been through."

In a surprising development, Mary Czuba has filed paperwork to divorce her husband, and the Czubas currently do not have legal representation in the wrongful death case. Joseph Czuba remains detained in Will County, awaiting a hearing in January for the criminal charges he faces. His attorney, George Lenard, has declined to comment on the case outside of court proceedings. The community anxiously awaits the outcome of both the criminal trial and the forthcoming wrongful death lawsuit, hoping that justice will be served for the Al-Fayoume family.