Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| [Chicago-Net] Please help Yahya! |
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| jannah |
| 08/08/01 at 16:15:17 |
| slm, I think we should all take 5 minutes and write to the email addresses below. We cannot allow our students to be beaten in the middle of their public high schools. The entire community should be outraged! ------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2001 21:33:08 -0500 From: Mohammed Waseem Aliuddin <maliuddin@norbridgeinc.com> Reply-To: Chicago-Net@yahoogroups.com To: Chicago-net@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Chicago-Net] Please help Yahya! Assalaamu Alaikum, Please read and circulate the following information about a high school student who was harassed and beaten by a teacher and police officer becuase he is Muslim. Also, even if you are not from Chicago, take the minute required and send an email to both Mayor Daley and the head of the Chicago Public Schools. Inshallah, the wish is to exert heavy pressure on Daley before he visits the Pakistan Day events in a couple of weeks. Also if you wish to make announcements at Jummah the next two weeks and collect signatures for petitions contact me at the email address below and I will send those materials to you. JazakAllah Khair Mohammed Waseem Aliuddin Norbridge Inc. 847-722-6763 maliuddin@norbridgeinc.com ________________ This is an update regarding the religious harassment and beating of Yahya Hussain in a Chicago Public School. (Yahya is the president of the Islamic Club and a member of the student council at Roosevelt High School.) As you know, a teacher harassed Yahya (saying things like "Islam is sh--") because Yahya is Muslim. When the teacher found out that Yahya was going to complain to school officials, the teacher had a Chicago Police officer beat Yahya in a crowded hallway between classes to teach Yahya a lesson. The beating caused Yahya to vomit blood. This story was reported on the Channel 7 news and in the Daily Southtown (An article is attached below) (http://129.105.100.154:8000/article.asp?articleID=4312). Yahya has filed a lawsuit, and the judge has ordered Chicago officials to sit down with Yahya on August 21 to discuss a possible resolution of this case. E-mail Mayor Richard Daley at mayordaley@cityofchicago.org <mailto:mayordaley@cityofchicago.org> and call him at (312) 744-3300. E-mail the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, Mr. Arne Duncan, at aduncan@cps.k12.il.us <mailto:aduncan@cps.k12.il.us> and call him at (773) 553-1500. Let them know what you want: (1) an immediate investigation followed by discipline of those involved in the harassment and beating, to make sure they do not abuse Yahya when school starts in September; (2) the opening of a dialogue between the Muslim community, Mayor Daley, and the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools to make sure this never happens again; (3) Islamic sensitivity training for all Chicago Public School teachers; (4) financial compensation for Yahya. ____________________________________________________________________________ ________ Muslim Student Sues School Officials for Beating by Lisa Smith 7/25/2001 A Chicago high school student said he was handcuffed and severely beaten by school officials because of his religion, according to a suit filed on his behalf Wednesday in federal court. Yahya Hussain, 17, a senior at Roosevelt High School, 3436 W. Wilson Ave., is suing a teacher, three Chicago police officers, the Chicago Board of Education and the city of Chicago for harassment and physical abuse he said he suffered at the school because of his Islamic faith. Hussain, an honor student and student council member, said that throughout the past school year, a math teacher, James Miller, would make negative comments about Islam as Hussain passed in the hallway. Hussain said Miller told him that his beard and kufi, a religious cap, "looked like shit" and made the ROTC look bad when Hussain wore his ROTC uniform, according to the lawsuit. One Wednesday in April when Hussain wore his ROTC uniform to school, as he did every week, he said he attempted to report the pattern of harassment to the school's disciplinary officer. But while he was waiting to make his complaint, he was assaulted by a Chicago police officer at the school. The officer, Conrad Dembowski, who approached Hussain along with Miller, grabbed Hussain from behind and twisted his arm behind his back, Hussain alleges in the suit. As Hussain struggled, Dembowski struck him in the back, yanked his left arm and handcuffed him. He struck Hussain in the face and chest, threw him against a locker and dragged him inside an office, where he continued striking and choking him. Hussain said Dembowski handcuffed him to a chair in the office and left. Later, Robert Frazin and Robert Sobieszczyk, also Chicago police officers, walked into the office and told Hussain they were "surprised an ROTC member would behave so badly," according to the suit. Hussain replied that he had done nothing wrong and began vomiting blood. He asked Franzin and Sobieszczyk if he could talk to his father and get medical help. They refused. Hussain was released two hours later and went to the emergency room. He sustained damage to his gums, swollen lips, bruises and a swollen wrist, said his lawyer, Kamran A. Memon. According to the suit, after the beating, Miller asked the school disciplinary officer to suspend Hussain, but the officer said there were no grounds for suspension. The suit alleges that Miller conspired with the police officers who committed the beating. Miller also made negative comments about Hussain to other teachers, Hussain said, who have since become hostile toward him. "Yahya didn't do anything to provoke this," Memon said. He said the incident was "absolutely" racially motivated. "There's no excuse for a teacher to religiously harass a student," Memon said. "And there's no excuse for a police officer to physically abuse a student." Lucy Ramirez, Chicago Board of Education spokeswoman and Jenny Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city's department of law, said Wednesday they could not comment on the allegations because they had not seen the lawsuit yet. After the incident, Memon said Hussain's father met with the school's principal and vice principal, but said he wasn't aware that any action had been taken against the offenders. Memon said the purpose of the suit is to encourage the city and the board of education to discipline the police officers and teacher involved in the harassment. "The matter is not resolved because some teachers have continued to be hostile," Memon said. "There is still tension at the school." Memon said Hussain is worried the harassment will continue or escalate when he returns to school this fall. He added that other Muslim students in the Chicago area are also concerned for Hussain, who is president of the Islamic club at Roosevelt High School. Hussain's suit charges the various defendants with conspiracy, illegal detention, excessive force, failure to provide medical assistance, assault and battery, liability and violation of his 1st and 14th Amendments. He is seeking actual damages of $100,000 and punitive damages of $50,000. Medill News Service, Northwestern University |
| Re: [Chicago-Net] Please help Yahya! |
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| Sara |
| 08/08/01 at 22:06:13 |
| Assalam, This really suprised me! I will email and complain. Please keep us updated on the outcome. |
| Re: [Chicago-Net] Please help Yahya! |
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| Anonymous |
| 08/10/01 at 20:02:12 |
| Wassalam Is this something that happens frequently in Chicago or other states in the US because how can this type of behaviour go on for so long and remain undetected? What type of teachers are these? I am so shocked. |
| Re: [Chicago-Net] Please help Yahya! |
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| SomairaAltaf |
| 08/11/01 at 20:20:16 |
| Assalamualaikum I was just wondering if anyone has contacted their Senators about this issue (ie the IL constituents?). I was in D.C. for the past two weeks, I met with Senator Durbin of IL and spoke to him about racial profiling, the Jerusalem issue..amongst with some other Muslim interns. You must voice your concerns....use ur FREE TIME, ie..the time u spend..online...chitchattin, take five minutes, and drop your senator an email!! tell him ur concerned!! Get in touch with an LA within their offices... hehe, ok sorry, as you can tell I'm a poli sci major, and it upsets me when events such as these take place, and no one pays any attention. we ARE citizens, your senators are there to voice your concerns...get involved, get heard!! acha im out..take care. ws Somaira |
| Re: [Chicago-Net] Please help Yahya! |
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| se7en |
| 08/21/01 at 22:56:17 |
| from macrld-net: Assalamu Alaykum. The Hussain family reports that NO PROGRESS was made at today's settlement conference regarding the religious harassment and beating of Yahya Hussain at a Chicago Public School. The defendants must file formal answers to the lawsuit on September 21, 2001. As you know, Yahya is the president of the Islamic Club and a member of the student council at Roosevelt High School. Yahya established the Jummah Prayer at Roosevelt, but the principal cancelled it. Then a teacher harassed Yahya (saying things like "Islam is sh--"). When the teacher found out that Yahya was going to complain to school officials, the teacher had a Chicago Police officer beat Yahya in a crowded hallway between classes to teach Yahya a lesson. The beating caused Yahya to vomit blood. This story was reported on the Channel 7 news and in the Daily Southtown. E-mail Mayor Richard Daley at mayordaley@cityofchicago.org and call him at (312) 744-3300. E-mail the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, Mr. Arne Duncan, at aduncan@cps.k12.il.us and call him at (773) 553-1500. E-mail the alderman of the 39th Ward, Ms. Margaret Laurino, at ward39@cityofchicago.org and call her at (773) 736-5594. Call the Spate Representative for the 20th District, Richard Bradley, at (773) 794-9444. Let them know what you want: (1) an immediate investigation followed by discipline of those involved in the harassment and beating, to make sure they do not abuse Yahya when school starts in September; (2) the opening of a dialogue between the Muslim community, Mayor Daley, and the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools to make sure this never happens again; (3) Islamic sensitivity training for all Chicago Public School teachers. --- |
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