Cops: Staten Island teens tormented Muslim student

[Enrique]

http://www.salon.com/news/islam/?story=/politics/war_room/2010/10/11/staten_island_hate_crime_charges

Authorities have charged four Staten Island teenagers with assault and aggravated harassment -- and are classifying both as hate crimes -- for allegedly terrorizing a Muslim classmate while he was in the eighth grade last year.

Kristian, a Muslim student who is now 16 years old and has been identified only by his first name, was the focus of a profile in the Staten Island Advance on Sunday. He told the paper the bullying started last year and at first he was called gay. Then his tormentors' focus shifted to the fact that he is Muslim (though his family is not particularly observant). The paper reports:

One day, Kristian recalled, he took a seat in the cafeteria to have lunch. A student snuck up behind him, grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, while a second one spat in his face.

"They called me a Muslim terrorist," Kristian said. "That I came to this country to blow down houses and buildings because I have long hair."

...

They began assaulting him in the hallways between classes, tripping him and then kicking and punching him -- in his knees, his groin and his back -- while he was on the floor, he said.
The news of the hate crimes charges against the teenagers comes not long after Staten Island experienced its own version of the "ground zero mosque" fight.

[JNelson6563]

1. I'm interested to see how much play this gets here.

[Warpy]

2. Bully boys just get worse and worse

until someone steps in and stops them.

Getting those miserable little thugs off the street and into juvie will do the whole borough a big favor.