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Teens Allegedly Stab Brooklyn Man "Because You're Arabic & Deserve It"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 24, 2015
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 24, 2015
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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Two teen brothers have been accused of stabbing a Brooklyn man because he was speaking Arabic: "I’m going to stab you because you’re Arabic and deserve it," one of the teens allegedly told victim Said Othman, according to the News.
Othman, 41, told ABC he was walking with his wife and 8-year-old son in Sunset Park around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 16th when the incident happened. They were on 41st Street when they ran into the teens, who they say picked an unprovoked fight with them: "The guy, he came in front of us and he was telling us, 'What are you looking at?'" said Samera Mahmud, the victim's wife. "I told him, 'Why you talking to me like that, I don't want any trouble,'" Othman added.
The teens allegedly started cursing at them, and one pulled out a knife, stabbing Othman in the stomach and arm.
The brothers, identified as 18-year-old Erick Pastuizaca and 19-year-old Manuel Pastuizaca, have since been arrested and face several charges including assault as a hate crime.
"These types of disturbing incidents are the direct result of the growing anti-Muslim atmosphere in our nation that is increasingly being promoted and exploited by those in or seeking public office," Sadyia Khalique, direct of operators of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), said in a statement calling state and national public officials to speak out against Islamophobia.
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brooklyn
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Said Othman
stabbing
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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