In a country where everything is partisan, and the news is either reported in red or blue, it is rare to see the media united on anything. But in the weeks following 10/7, no matter the channel you turned on, there was a united front to dehumanize Palestinians at every opportunity. @potus and his administration did nothing but fan the flames. Say what you want about George W, at the very least he constantly made the distinction that his war on terror was not a war on Islam. But President Biden, in his rare moments of being awake, made no such efforts to distinguish Palestinians and Hamas. Even “decent” people I know were posting binary statements “You either stand with Israel, or you stand with terrorism.”

As a result of this rhetoric, the inevitable happened on October 14th 2023, when 6 year old Wadea Al Fayoume and his mother were stabbed in their apartment by their landlord. He killed him and severely wounded his mother because they were Palestinian Muslims. Wadea was stabbed 26 times. His final words to his mother, “Mom, I’m fine.”

This was one of many examples of the stark rise in Islamophobic and Anti Palestinian hate crimes in the last two months, globally and domestically. CAIR says that since 10/7, they average around 406 complaints and requests for help and bias a day.

Wadea’s parents are living in an unthinkable nightmare now. A nightmare that President Biden, and many many others have a hand in making a reality. It could have been my nephews instead of Wadea, and sadly it still can be. Nothing has changed. The rhetoric has only gotten worse. Wake up Joe.

Allah yerhamek Wadea, and may Allah give your parents the strength they instilled in you.

Please look at the story highlights entitled "Wadea" on my Instagram profile page for more on this hate crime, as well as the alarming rise in Islamophobia here in the US, and around the world.

Acrylic on Canvas 10" x 20"