Pakistani-Canadian teen beaten up in suspected hate crime

[Pakistanian]

So a 15 year old Pakistani-Canadian guy was beaten up by a baseball bat in Hamilton, Canada and he's now in intensive care.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/teen-attack-1.3874867

Noah Rabbani was just trying to get home from a friend's house overnight Saturday in Hamilton — but he ended up in intensive care after a brutal beating from two men with a baseball bat. Now his family is left wondering if the attack was a hate crime.

The 15-year-old Saltfleet District High School student had to go through surgery to repair a crack in his skull and doesn't have full movement on his right side.

Muslim teen attacked with bat undergoes successful surgery
"It's just a total shock. He's such a good kid," said his aunt, Huma Aslam.

According to police, Rabbani was walking in the area of Rymal Road East and Fletcher Road just after midnight, where he was assaulted and robbed of his backpack.

'It just seems like all of a sudden after the election in the U.S. there have been more violent incidents in our country.'
- Huma Aslam, victim's aunt
A police news release says two men got out of a car next to where he was walking, with one holding a baseball bat.

"The males approached the boy and struck him with the bat several times causing serious injuries," the news release reads. "The suspects ran back to the car and left in an unknown direction."

Aslam says her nephew didn't have anything of real value in the backpack to steal — just a water bottle and some books. The teen's family says he's a quiet, kind boy and an exceptional student who has won several academic awards.

But considering that Rabbani is of Pakistani and Muslim background, Aslam says, his family is worried that the incident was a hate crime, and he was targeted for the colour of his skin.

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"It just seems like all of a sudden after the election in the U.S. there have been more violent incidents in our country," Aslam said. "It's the timing of it all.

Unable to speak much

"Here we are in Canada, the greatest country in the world. I'm just really in shock."

Hamilton police Const. Asuf Khokhar said the investigation is continuing, and detectives are "looking at all aspects."

It's difficult to say exactly what happened, because the teen still isn't able to speak much. He suffered injuries to his brain, jaw, limbs and spine, and currently isn't able to move the right side of his body.

The swelling was so bad that doctors had to wait days to operate, his aunt says. The family is pleading with anyone in the area who saw anything to contact police.

After his attack, Rabbani managed to get to his grandmother's house a few doors down, and provided a brief description of who attacked him — two white men, one around five feet six inches with a thin build, the other around five feet eight inches.

Racial tension

The family was hoping once he got out of surgery Wednesday that he would be able to provide more insight into what happened. It's tough to say what the full extent of the damage is just yet, his aunt says.

"They're waiting for the swelling to come down."

Aslam said that since president-elect Donald Trump's win this month, her whole family has felt more racial tension and even danger while out in public.

A Facebook post from a family member is asking for prayers for the teen, as well as making a plea for communities to start talking about racism and Islamophobia.

"We can't let these crimes go unnoticed," Aslam said. "It cannot become the new norm."

This comes just weeks after a Sikh Canadian was verbally harassed in Vancouver.

 

[Suleiman]

Lol Canada is built up as the utopia for immigrants these days, but having been there quite a bit it's not something out of the ordinary. There are good and bad people there just like with every other country.

btw I've met the dad of the kid, is friends with my uncle and aunt.

 

[Pakistanian]

Lol Canada is built up as the utopia for immigrants these days, but having been there quite a bit it's not something out of the ordinary. There are good and bad people there just like with every other country.

btw I've met the dad of the kid, is friends with my uncle and aunt.

Canada isn't less racist than America, we just get a bad rap cause we're the bigger neighbor. Anyhow what happened to the kid is tragic, gotta feel for him.

 

[Thivagar]

Lol Canada is built up as the utopia for immigrants these days, but having been there quite a bit it's not something out of the ordinary. There are good and bad people there just like with every other country.

btw I've met the dad of the kid, is friends with my uncle and aunt.

Canada isn't less racist than America, we just get a bad rap cause we're the bigger neighbor. Anyhow what happened to the kid is tragic, gotta feel for him.

His family suspects that it could have been a hate crime. No one knows for sure as of yet.

The American media is funded and hence brainwash people into the way they are. Canada is far less racist than USA. USA has a lot of "US vs them/outsider/immigrant" feeling among White Americans and the rest in many part. We learn American mistakes, media and policies here.

 

[Slog]

'People who think Canada isnt as racist should talk to any guy of color who tried to make it in hockey. The stories you hear. Your reaction is like: Dude was this in Alabama? No, Manitoba!'

Many of the desis and minorities probably avoid racism because it seems they are all stuck in their own circles and only hang around mostly with their own people and dont even regularly interact with other races.

 

[kingusama92]

'People who think Canada isnt as racist should talk to any guy of color who tried to make it in hockey. The stories you hear. Your reaction is like: Dude was this in Alabama? No, Manitoba!'

Many of the desis and minorities probably avoid racism because it seems they are all stuck in their own circles and only hang around mostly with their own people and dont even regularly interact with other races.

Depends on the region with hockey. I didn't face hockey-related racism in the 90s as a young player but that was pre-2001 so I won't count that.

Ontario isn't as bad.

I have several cousins who've gone through the ranks (B, A, AA) and didn't face much. The Ontario teams are starting to see a rush of colored players now.

Maybe, it's different at the highest level 'AAA' where things are cutthroat and one step below the pros.

I can imagine a place like Manitoba being sketch though.

Canada is most definitely home to racists just like any other country. I'd call it "silent racism" as it's not as overt as America.

Good point about minorities avoiding racism by hanging out with their own especially first generation immigrants.

 

[PakLFC]

Agree with post 2 that Canada is seen is some kina heaven now where everyone wants to go. I've also visited there and enjoyed myself, the Pakistanis there are better educated then their European counterparts. This is not to suggest that it doesn't have any social problems at all. Being much superior to Muslim countries and warzones they have the right to feel superior at the moment, attacking people is illegal in every law.

 

[Pakistanian]

His family suspects that it could have been a hate crime. No one knows for sure as of yet.

The American media is funded and hence brainwash people into the way they are. Canada is far less racist than USA. USA has a lot of "US vs them/outsider/immigrant" feeling among White Americans and the rest in many part. We learn American mistakes, media and policies here.

I know white Canadians and many of them are just like white Americans in their attitudes, the only reason why ou may not be aware is because all the brown people are concentrated in certain areas, there's an unofficial segregation going on in Canada.

 

[Pakistanian]

Depends on the region with hockey. I didn't face hockey-related racism in the 90s as a young player but that was pre-2001 so I won't count that.

Ontario isn't as bad.

I have several cousins who've gone through the ranks (B, A, AA) and didn't face much. The Ontario teams are starting to see a rush of colored players now.

Maybe, it's different at the highest level 'AAA' where things are cutthroat and one step below the pros.

I can imagine a place like Manitoba being sketch though.

Canada is most definitely home to racists just like any other country. I'd call it "silent racism" as it's not as overt as America.

Good point about minorities avoiding racism by hanging out with their own especially first generation immigrants.

Isn't it strange that despite there being hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis in Canada yet there isn't one in the NHL, yet there are fewer Lebanese and Nazem Khadri made it.

 

[kingusama92]

Isn't it strange that despite there being hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis in Canada yet there isn't one in the NHL, yet there are fewer Lebanese and Nazem Khadri made it.

Economics.

Nazem Kadri is blessed to have a dad like his who toiled hard to put his son in hockey as a first generation Canadian. I'm glad to see him repay that commitment from his dad in such a way. Turning into one heck of a player too (I'm a Leafs fan)!

The cost of playing hockey is absurd. Thousands of dollars a year just for equipment. I can tell you first hand having gone through it myself.

My cousins are third generation Canadians and their dads didn't play because of money. I suppose they took this to heart and put their children into the sport.

In fact, they asked Wayne Gretzky in a recent interview about it too. His response was "my dad wouldn't have been able to afford hockey equipment if I was born in this era so I would have been doing something else." It's a real issue across all races and a shame considering how many Pakistanis love hockey in Canada. I've seen it first hand and some of these kids are damn good too.

To be honest, first generation immigrants can't afford hockey fees so they put their children into basketball/soccer. As you can imagine, most Pakistanis aren't built for basketball and soccer isn't as lucrative in Canada so the journey in athletics ends quickly.

 

[sshakir411]

oh no but Canada was the divine land where hate crimes and racism didn't exist.

 

[srh]

oh no but Canada was the divine land where hate crimes and racism didn't exist.

there is lot of racism in Canada; never believe the desi Canadian kids here who are living in their ghettos; [MENTION=428]Romali_rotti[/MENTION] can attest

 

[Thivagar]

Isn't it strange that despite there being hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis in Canada yet there isn't one in the NHL, yet there are fewer Lebanese and Nazem Khadri made it.

Economics.

Nazem Kadri is blessed to have a dad like his who toiled hard to put his son in hockey as a first generation Canadian. I'm glad to see him repay that commitment from his dad in such a way. Turning into one heck of a player too (I'm a Leafs fan)!

The cost of playing hockey is absurd. Thousands of dollars a year just for equipment. I can tell you first hand having gone through it myself.

My cousins are third generation Canadians and their dads didn't play because of money. I suppose they took this to heart and put their children into the sport.

In fact, they asked Wayne Gretzky in a recent interview about it too. His response was "my dad wouldn't have been able to afford hockey equipment if I was born in this era so I would have been doing something else." It's a real issue across all races and a shame considering how many Pakistanis love hockey in Canada. I've seen it first hand and some of these kids are damn good too.

To be honest, first generation immigrants can't afford hockey fees so they put their children into basketball/soccer. As you can imagine, most Pakistanis aren't built for basketball and soccer isn't as lucrative in Canada so the journey in athletics ends quickly.

Same applies to cricket in sub continent and especially in India. Every kid in india plays cricket yet only very few % ever participate in club cricket, it is too expensive for the rest.

Hockey is also some what on a decline, Basketball has suddenly become huge here in Canada, especially in Toronto. Many immigrants live in areas low-middle income areas where other kids play basketball because it is much cheaper, one $20 ball and you can have 10 people playing at a time. Playing basketball on your nearby court is the exact same as playing in the league, playing street ball hockey isn't same as playing on weekend leagues wearing $1000 worth of equipment and playing on ice. Even when second generation kids play Basketball because all their friends, cousins and family all watch basketball. Basketball is also much more fun to watch, the amount of athleticism in Basketball puts cricketer to shame.

 

[Abdul]

Very common this stuff here. Not sure what's to be surprised about.

I have seen stabbings myself many times.