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CAIR: Deal With Threat Made Against 6th-Grader

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By ELAINE SILVESTRINI and MARK DOUGLAS, The Tampa Tribune News Channel 8

Published: November 13, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - A Muslim civil rights organization is calling on Pinellas County school officials to investigate a threat it says was made against a sixth-grade Muslim girl at Azalea Middle School.

The 11-year-old girl, Hannah, told reporters she's afraid to go back to school after a boy pulled off her head scarf and the next day threatened to shoot and kill her.

"I feel so afraid," she said. "I should just switch schools."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations held a news conference Monday afternoon outside the school at 22nd Avenue North and 79th Street North with the girl and her parents, all of whom would give only their first names, citing security concerns. Ahmed Bedier, executive director of CAIR's Tampa chapter, said the organization's primary concern is the safety of Hannah and the other students at the school.

Bedier said school officials have not taken appropriate actions to ensure the safety of all students at the school and should be following their own policy by contacting police.

Andrea Zahn, spokeswoman for the Pinellas County School District, said school officials have not contacted police because "a threat assessment is still under way."

She said that the story Bedier is telling does not match what school officials have heard. She said that an administrator at Azalea Middle School met with the parents last week and resolved their concerns.

Bedier and the parents, however, said that's not the case.

According to CAIR, Hannah and her parents, this is what happened:

The boy had harassed the girl for about a week. He punched her and pushed her up against the wall, choking her. He tugged at her head scarf, and this past Wednesday, he pulled it off her head.

Hannah began crying and the teacher told her to go to the bathroom to fix her scarf. Hannah said she asked to have her seat moved to get away from the boy, but was told she would have to work for it.

The next day, the boy told the girl he was going home to get a gun to shoot and kill her.

Bedier said the boy didn't say anything against Muslims, so there's no way yet to know whether the harassment was directed at Hannah solely because of her religion. He said Hannah is the only girl in the school who wears a hijab.

"I wear the head scarf because I love my faith," Hannah told reporters. "It was my choice ... My mom is my role model, and she teaches me to put the head scarf on. She teaches me to be a good Muslim."

Bedier had no opinion about what should happen to the boy. He said the blame for the incident's escalation rests with school officials, who failed to act early enough to stop the progression.

"Inaction will empower the boy to do further violence in the future," Bedier said. He said it sends the message that his actions are not a problem.

Hannah's mother, Maria, said she left a phone message for the sixth-grade principal. He called her back Friday and told her he would take care of the matter. Bedier, though, said the girl has not been interviewed, and the boy is still in school.

Reporter Elizabeth Silvestrini can be reached at (813) 259-7837 or esilvestrini@tampatrib.com. Reporter Mark Douglas can be reached at (727) 536-8443 or mdouglas@wfla.com.

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