Minor student under investigation for bias-motivated assault against two Muslim classmates at a middle school in Connecticut.
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A 12-year-old student is in the crosshairs of a hate crime accusation, standing before a juvenile court judge following allegations of involvement in a brutal assault on twin seventh-grade Muslim students at their Connecticut middle school. According to authorities, it's a hate crime supposedly driven by religion and ethnicity.
The anonymized accused student was hit with charges of intimidation based on bigotry and bias in the 1st and 2nd degree via a summons to juvenile court.
"Investigators confirmed the altercation was fueled by religion and/or ethnicity, fulfilling the legal criteria of a hate crime," reports a joint statement by the Waterbury State's Attorney's Office, Waterbury police, and city officials.
The twin 13-year-old girls endured a horrific ordeal. Their hijabs were ripped off, and they were beaten up in the school's locker room during gym class, shares Farhan Memon, chair of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
"They received a beating from their classmates," Memon clarified. "One girl had facial bruises, and her sister had something pressed against her neck."
One of the girls felt a foreign object slide across her neck, causing an abrasion on her neck, Memon disclosed to CNN. Upon visiting the hospital, the girls' father discovered documented brutalities on their faces, noses, and necks, Memon added.
Another student involved in the incident was enrolled in a youth diversionary program as an alternative to arrest, according to the city's statement.
It's uncertain if the two juveniles have made court appearances or secured legal representation.
Waterbury Public Schools Interim Superintendent Darren Schwartz issued a statement, expressing his commitment to ensuring student safety and mutual respect.
This disturbing incident unfolded during Ramadan, Islam's holy month. Its timing echoes concerns from Muslims, who reported a record-breaking spike in anti-Arab and Islamophobic bias events in the United States.
CAIR's recent annual civil rights report stated it had received 8,658 complaints of Islamophobia in 2024, an all-time high for the organization.
The twins' family reached out to CAIR the day after the locker room attack, engaging the nonprofit in the situation, Memon explained.
Despite Mayor Paul Pernerewski's claim that the attack at the middle school was an isolated incident, the twins' family alleges they've faced bullying from their peers over their religion and ethnicity since their arrival in the US from Egypt last year.
"Although the sisters struggle with English fluency, they affirmed that their peers - including the girls involved in the alleged assault - often used terms like 'Arab,' 'Muslim,' and 'Hijab', accompanied by laughter and derogatory gestures," CAIR wrote in a March 18 letter to officials.
Just days before the locker room attack, the twins had reported threats by the same student who has since been charged, according to CAIR.
The student allegedly made a threatening gesture by dragging her finger across her neck in a death sign, CAIR claimed in a letter to city officials. Waterbury Public Schools acknowledged that the gesture was made on March 3.
Asked about past incidences among the students, the Waterbury Public Schools superintendent mentioned an incident on February 28 that originated from a misconception that the twins were discussing the offender in class, which was determined to be false.
"The teacher promptly mediated between the students and offered additional support, but all students declined the help," superintendent Schwartz informed CNN via email statement. Schwartz deemed the February 28 conflict insufficient to constitute bullying.
Originally, police looked into the March 3 incident as a disturbance or assault. However, the family's subsequent disclosure of the alleged hate crime led to a thorough investigation, police shared.
"Every student deserves to feel safe and respected in their educational environment, and we will persist in partnering with our school partners to uphold this standard," Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo affirmed in a statement.
- The 12-year-old student, who is accused of a hate crime that targeted twin seventh-grade Muslim students in Waterbury, reportedly received gestures and comments from peers that were laced with ethnic and religious bias, as stated by the chair of the Connecticut chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).
- According to Farhan Memon, the father of the twin girls who were assaulted and had their hijabs ripped off at the school's locker room, they have been facing bullying from their peers, including those involved in the assault, since their arrival in the US from Egypt last year.
- Despite the claimed isolation of the attack at the Waterbury middle school, the twins' family alleges that they have been subjected to repeated instances of verbal and physical assault, along with derogatory gestures, based on their religion and ethnicity, since their arrival in the US.
