Hate Crime Charges Filed After Anti-Muslim Attack Caught On Video

Just as disturbing as the attack, was that no one stopped the attacker or tried to intervene, and we need to understand the critical lesson from this event

This week a pregnant Muslim woman and her husband suffered a racist attack at a Panera Bread in Downers Grove, IL. The deeply disturbing video of a white woman named Alexandra Szustakiewicz (64) verbally and physically attacking them because they wore a Palestinian hoodie is already viral on social media. Downers Grove is less than a 30 minutes drive from Plainfield, where last year a white supremacist murdered 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume. And just as disturbing is the fact that while this racist committed her hate crime in broad daylight with dozens of people in the store—not a single person came to their aid. Downers Grove is not in the deep red south. It is not “MAGA country.” So what happened and why did no one speak up? Let’s Address This.

First, take a moment to watch the brief video.

The husband, Waseem Zahran was quoted by local media after the attack:

She walked by, and she saw my Palestinian sweater, and that caused her to say, like ‘F*** Palestine’ and like other, like, 'F*** you,  f*** Palestine.’

I want to point out two key points. First, I commend Mr. Zahran for his patience, situational awareness, and self-control. Kudos to him for maintaining his calm, deescalating as best as he could, and protecting his wife. That takes courage and compassion, and he exemplified both.

Next, and here is the part we must reflect on, notice how nobody else intervenes? We can see another woman standing behind the attacker, just minding her own business as if nothing is going on. Nobody at Panera takes any action. Nobody in the rest of the store even bothers to get up from their tables, despite the loud altercation.

And to reiterate, Downers Grove, IL is in a blue district. I state this to make clear that it would be foolish to dismiss the attack as “just what Republicans do.” Is the attacker Alexandra Szustakiewicz a MAGA racist? Maybe. Was everyone in that store a MAGA racist—doubtful. There’s an important lesson here I want to emphasize.

Not Racist vs Anti Racist

This event exemplifies what we mean when we talk about the difference between being not racist and being anti-racist. There are plenty of people who might agree, “What Alexandra Szustakiewicz did is wrong, she shouldn’t have done that.” But when a person is also anti-racist, they go beyond verbal condemnations after the fact, and take action to undo injustice in real time. And in this situation that could have included calling 911 right away—but no one called. It could have meant getting up and standing between the racist and the innocent pregnant woman that the racist was attacking—but no one stood up. It could even have been as simple as raising awareness in the store to do something and let the attacker know she was outnumbered and in the wrong—but no one spoke up.

Police say Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64, "initiated a physical confrontation" with the couple, who were wearing shirts with the word "Palestine" on them. (DuPage County State's Attorney's Office)

Dangerous examples like this exemplify why the phrase “being silent is being complicit” exists. And especially as Trump’s new Muslim ban is expected to go live some time in late January 2025, we know it is going to get worse. If 2017 is any indicator, we can likely expect to see a spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes, and we need to be ready and united.

And finally, we cannot ignore the white privilege in this scenario. First, imagine if the roles were reversed and a person of color attacked a white woman? Media and right wing politicians would run wild to spread fear and disinformation nationally. (see e.g. the months long demonization of all Haitians due to one fabricated claim about pets, made by one white woman). But while local media reports that even though police identified the racist woman who attacked the Muslim couple, and even though police have the video evidence of her physically attacking them—she was allowed to leave.

Fortunately—police have finally filed hate crime charges against 64-year-old Alexandra Szustakiewicz. Local Patch reports, “Alexandra Szustakiewicz, 64, was charged with two counts of hate crime and one count of disorderly conduct in connection with Saturday's incident.” Additionally, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement:

Every member of society, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other individual characteristic, deserves to be treated with respect and civility. This type of behavior and the accompanying prejudice have no place in a civilized society and my office stands ready to file the appropriate charges in such cases.

Szustakiewicz is set to appear in court Dec. 16.

Moving Forward United

I hopeful that the expectant mother who suffered this hate crime receives the support she needs, and likewise that the racist woman Alexandra Szustakiewicz who committed the hate crime faces the accountability she deserves. As we move forward into this next administration, we have an opportunity to recognize these injustices for what they are, and stand united against them. This is an opportunity for us to improve ourselves by recognizing the importance of being anti-racist, to meaningfully invest in those individuals and organizations working the front lines to counter this violent rhetoric, and to collectively demand justice in all matters. That is how we will not only survive these next four years, but meaningfully move towards a more perfect Union.

As for me, I will be doing everything in my power over the next four years to stave off fascism in the United States, and I cannot do it alone. I invite you to support my work and advocacy by subscribing below. Thank you for your trust and partnership.