Interfaith Help Against Possible Hate Crime
December 12th, 2007This is the type of information that needs to be publicized more and more. The other night in New York, several Jewish young adults were assaulted on the subway by people who allegedly told them that the USA is a Christian country.
A suspected bias attack on four Jewish subway riders has resulted in a friendship between the Jewish victims and the Muslim college student who came to their aid.
Walter Adler is calling Hassan Askari a hero for intervening when Adler and three friends were assaulted on a subway train in lower Manhattan on Friday night.
The altercation erupted when Adler and his friends said “Happy Hanukkah” to a group yelling “Merry Christmas” on the Brooklyn-bound train.
The 20-year-old Askari said he tried to fight off the 10 attackers, giving Adler a chance to summon police by pulling an emergency brake.
“I did what I thought was right,” said Askari, a student at Berkeley College in Manhattan, who was allegedly punched and beaten. “I did the best that I could to help.”
Eight men and two women have pleaded not guilty to assault, menacing and other charges in the case. Prosecutors have said the charges could be upgraded to hate crimes.
“That a random Muslim kid helped some Jewish kids, that’s what’s positive about New York,” said Adler, 23, who suffered a broken nose and a lip wound.
Hassan Askari put his own life in danger to help Jews he has never met because it was the right thing to do. He is exactly the type of guy who belongs at MEY, and the type of humanitarian the world needs more of.
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That’s the kind of stories this world needs! I’m always happy to read something like this – thank you for sharing!
what’s missing in this story? the ethnicities of the victims and the hero are included; if the perpetrator had been an afro, or other minority, then the ethnicity of the perpetrator would have been included as well. but it’s not! so……………….. what do y’all think?
true americans committed this crime, got it. true americans!
I think this story is wonderful and I add my voice to other who call him a hero. “A suspected bias attack on four Jewish subway riders has resulted in a friendship between the Jewish victims and the Muslim college student who came to their aid. Walter Adler is calling Hassan Askari a hero for intervening when Adler and three friends were assaulted on a subway train in lower Manhattan on Friday night.”
What I think is wrong is injecting race into the issue for any reason. Creeps are creeps – regardless of color and race.
You’re confusing me, Mark: is this a religious hate crime or a racial hate crime?
These are real life stories, stories that rarely make their way into the media.
I love the spirit of the youth, when it comes to friendship and sense of equality, freedom, they so candidly intervene in what they find right.
It could be a Christian helping a Jew, could be a Jew helping a Muslim, when it comes to the spirited youths, we can count on them
I think this story proves that we humans will never run out of those who will act like idiots, and , gladly, those who will act as heros. I would love to shake that young hero’s hand.
Mytow cents,
This is a secular approach to humanity, regardless of religions and beliefs. I think
Thank you very much Mathew for sharing it , such stories make me still believe that there is still good in humanity,and one should always applaud such actions, we should report such stories more often than what sometimes fills MEY space of political counter-productive ranting in my opinion!