Seven-year-old boy beaten on US bus 'for being Muslim'

Seven-year-old boy beaten on US bus 'for being Muslim'
A Pakistani-American family said they will leave the United States after suffering string of Islamophobic hate crimes, the most recent against their seven-year old son.
2 min read
12 October, 2016
Abdul Usmani was allegedly attacked by five fellow students on a bus [Getty]
A seven-year-old child has left the United States with his family after he was allegedly assaulted on a school bus due to his Pakistani background and Muslim faith.

The boy's parents said that first grader Abdul Usmani was beaten by five fellow students as they made references to his race and religion.

Speaking to Buzzfeed News, the boy's father, Dr Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani, said that his wife and three sons had now fled the US for Pakistan. This follows a long list of hate crimes perpetrated against his family, Usmani said on Friday.
"These are six and seven year old kids calling him names, with one kid punching him in the face, while two other kids attacked him, kicked him, and held his arms back," Usmani said.

According to Usmani, the racist attack was despite his son being "as American as you can get" and the harrassment continued.

"They keep beating him all the way from school to home on the bus," he continued.

He described his son's journey from his home to the Weatherstone Elementary School in Cary, North Carolina.
Dr Usmani's Facebook post about his son [Facebook]
A photograph uploaded by Usmani to Facebook also appeared to show his son with a sprained arm in a sling.

"Welcome to the United States of America of Donald Trump," read the text accompanying the photo posted on 8 October.

"Meet my son Abdul Aziz. He is in grade 1, bullied and beaten by his own classmates in school bus for being a Muslim."

A spokesperson for the Wake County Public School System told reporters that an investigation began immediately after the incident was reported.

However, the school said that the nature of the abuse was not previously disclosed by the Usmani family.

"When [the family] originally shared the information, they didn't share any info about religion or race, and just that their child was bullied," said spokeswoman Lisa Luten.

Usmani has said they will make a decision on returning to the US once the outcome of the presidential elections are known, and if Donald Trump will lead the country.