Commentary: A tragic death and shattered dreams

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Nabeel Siddiqui was only 16 when he came to the United States from Pakistan, looking for a bright future. He was 24 on Monday when he died at a New Jersey hospital.

Siddiqui died of the wounds he received when attacked by three teenagers, now in police custody, on Sept. 25. Doctors at the University Hospital, Newark, said he had severe neurological injuries and trauma when brought for treatment. The injuries had damaged different parts of brain and caused his death, they said.

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Siddiqui arrived in America eight years ago from Karachi and graduated with honors from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in May.

The attack on Siddiqui was apparently one of a string of unrelated attacks in the United States on Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Muslim advocacy and civil rights group, reported another attack on a Muslim woman in Springfield, Va.

The group said the woman, who was wearing an Islamic headscarf, was attacked from behind in a K-Mart parking lot. The white male teenage attacker allegedly shouted, "you terrorist pig," before running away, the CAIR said.

The 47-year-old convert to Islam was treated at a local hospital for a 2-3 inch deep wound on her lower back. She was released from the hospital later that same day. Lt. Butch Gamble of the Fairfax County Police Department told CAIR the incident is being treated as an "apparent bias crime."

"Unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in Islam phobic attacks that parallels the ongoing ... campaign to demonize Muslims and Islam," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "This smear campaign is having an impact on those in our society vulnerable to the siren song of hatred and prejudice. As we have requested many times in the past, elected officials and other opinion leaders must speak out against this, and all other forms of religious intolerance."

Since the beginning of the year, CAIR has received a number of reports of physical assaults against American Muslims -- or those who appear to be Muslim -- and Islamic institutions. Those incidents included a recent arson attack on a Georgia mosque, a cross burning at a Maryland Islamic school, the kidnapping and beating of a Massachusetts pizza delivery man whose attackers thought he was Muslim, and the shooting of a Sikh man in Arizona who may have been mistaken for an Arab. Similar incidents have been reported in a number of other states.

Police said the teenage suspects who attacked Siddiqui used a false pizza order to lure him to Haxtun Avenue, an upscale residential street. Siddiqui was working as a pizza deliveryman while looking for a permanent job.

The resident of that address was not home at the time of the attack and later told police no one there had ordered a pizza.

Three juveniles, a 16-year-old from Woodbridge, N.J., and a 16-year-old and 17-year-old from Orange, N.J., are in custody. They are charged with aggravated assault, robbery, carjacking and possession of a weapon, police said.

Siddiqui was a computer science major and planned to work for a couple of years as a computer programmer to bring his parents and younger sister to join him in America.

"He was the only son of his parents who gave up so much to finance his education in America. Nabeel was aware of the sacrifices his parents made for him and wanted to pay them back," said Syed Asif Alam, who heads the New York-based Association of Pakistani Professionals. "And when he seemed so close to achieving his objective, he died."

"He was the only son of his parents and also had a younger sister. In the Pakistani social context, it means that he was responsible for supporting them, for educating his sister and for paying for her marriage. With his death, their dreams lay in tatters," said Faiz Rehman, chairman of the Washington-based National Council of Pakistan-Americans.

Siddiqui was popular both among Pakistani and American students at NJIT and was known for his electric guitar, which he played with zest, and his love for frothy coffee. At 5 feet 2 inches and 120 pounds, he had a slight frame. But he was untiring and worked hard, both at school and at the jobs he did to finance his studies.

Siddiqui was hit in the head with a baseball bat, and his silver 1995 Nissan Altima was stolen, police said. He was found about 9:45 p.m. on Sept. 25, lying in the street, semiconscious and bleeding from his head.

Police said the attackers took his car only. Siddiqui's wallet, containing $30, his college identification and numerous credit cards, was found at the scene. Later, police also recovered Siddiqui's car half a mile away from where he was attacked.

Family and friends had been gathering at the hospital since Sept. 25, to comfort one another and take turns sitting with Siddiqui.

But his friends said the two people most missed at the hospital while Siddiqui was still struggling for life were his parents, Atiq and Husna Siddiqui, who live in Karachi.

They wanted to visit their son at the hospital but could not come because his mother's passport had expired and the father could not get a visa.

His friends said Siddiqui was sending money to his parents in Pakistan and now they are trying to rally financial support for his parents.

CAIR has urged the FBI to investigate all such attacks as possible hate crimes and take steps to protect American Muslims.

Last month, CAIR demanded that federal terrorism charges be brought against an Illinois man who got off with just two years probation and "anger management" classes after he bombed a Muslim family's van.

In Florida, a man was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August for plotting to attack some 50 Islamic institutions in that state.