NYC Sued On Behalf Of Teen Named Osama

Parents Claim Constant Harassment By Teachers Led To Suicide Attempt

(CBS)  The parents of a New York teen named Osama have sued the school system, claiming their son was constantly harassed by teachers while school officials did nothing.

Osama al-Najjar, a Jordanian-born Muslim, eventually plunged into a deep depression and tried to commit suicide over the incessant references to the infamous al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, CBS station WCBS-TV correspondent Andrew Kirtzman reported.

"This one time in gym I was sitting and it was the beginning of the semester and he said, 'Where's Osama?' and I said, 'Right here.' And he goes, 'I thought you'd be in back of a cave somewhere,'" Osama, now 16, said of an incident two years ago with a teacher at Tottenville High School in Staten Island.

Osama, who prefers to go by "Sam" at his new school in Brooklyn, said the tormenting continued for the next two years.

Osama said the students at his school did not participate in the tormenting. He said they often sympathized with him over the treatment he was receiving from his teachers, Kirtzman reported.

Meanwhile, school officials and teachers did little or nothing to stop the ostracism, Osama's parents said.

"The students were more understanding than the teachers. The teachers are the ones who called him names — bin Laden, terrorist," Osama's mother, Suad Abuhasna, told Kirtzman. "One of the teachers told him not to bother to come to class because no matter what he did he's not gonna pass."

On Monday, Osama's parents announced they would sue the Board of Education for violating their son's civil rights.

The suit notes that after a fight with two students, an assistant principal told Abuhasna that she should enroll Osama in an Islamic school, the New York Post reported.

Also included in the suit is Osama's July 2006 suicide attempt that started when he tried to cut his wrists with a broken CD. When his mother noticed she called a psychiatrist. As she called, Osama tied a cord around his neck and threatened to kill himself, the Post reported.

"It's not only terrible to see your baby going through this," his mother told the newspaper. "It's also the guilt you feel because I gave him that name and I chose that school."

"It's an outrage. Those teachers should have been suspended right away, but nothing happened," the family's lawyer, Omar T. Mohammedi, told Kirtzman.

The Department of Education was reluctant to comment, but a spokesman said: "We take these things very seriously. Our policies do not tolerate bias or bullying. ... We want everyone to feel welcome in our schools."

Osama now goes to a school with a special program for traumatized children. He said he is doing better and that when he turns 18, he wants to revert back to his given name, Kirtzman reported.

[roesch21]

There are still no updates for this story and absolutely no proof that this kid is telling the whole truth. First off i do not believe the kids tall tale, but if in fact it is true than i would have to agree with Justfacts, the kid has the choice to change his name. Choice A: Keep the name and accept the ridicule, Choice B: Change the name, and enjoy not getting picked on. You decide...

[xzavierbrown]

an advice for this teen..YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR NAME ANYTIME YOU WANT..you do have that right..

[brianbwb-2009]

During the stirring up of panic leading up to the recent invasions, Sikh Indians were accosted and harmed on US streets because they wear turbans, the rampaging thugs didn't possess the education to tell the difference between a Sikh and any other turban wearing people, and didn't care that the person they were harming had nothing to do with "radical Islam", 9/11, or anything.

Now, years after we all know that Bush lied to scare everyone, there are still idiots who harbor and exercise unjustified hatred for people for no real reason, Problem is these idiots call themselves teachers, or policemen, or politicians and are in position to do harm to you and your children.

Not to forget the totally brain dead people who try to engender hatred for Barack Obama by calling him Osama, their message is "hate him, because his name rhymes with someone else's whom we hate..."

Time to hold everyone, including Bush personally responsible for the harm they have done to countless innocents, replace them with people who really wish to do their jobs with honor and integrity.

[michellem99-2009]

I had a teacher in high school made fun of me due to the fact I have diabailties from birth, Another one made fun of my name,It was a common name.It was the first letter of my full name given me at birth and what it spelt. It hurt as teachers ouaght know BETTER but they are not any better the pupils. I feel some teachers more dumb.
The child can't help what his/her name is. It is Mum and Dad that named the baby..No body should make of another. I am 52.

[unkie469]

He definitely should not have been made miserable because he was named Osama. I imagine some girls suffered the same consequences who were named Monica a few years ago. How petty and ignorant of people to look at a name rather than the person with the name. I suppose, then, most boys should be named Abraham (Lincoln.)

[nottellin1]

Posted by thelma_doty at 06:06 PM : Jun 12, 2007

Just saying hi to a fellow Doty, who is related to me at some point back.

HI

[arohanui-2009]

Justfacts, you are the sort of narrow minded bigot this planet can do without.

[arohanui-2009]

Justfacts, you are the sort of narrow minded bigot this planet can do without.

[toolmangler-2009]

I am 1/4 American Indian but you can't see it in me, I am also the first born of the first born of the... of France and so on back to 1526. But you don't see that either. The rest is Scotch-Irish and that is all you see when you look at me. Proves nothing except that you never know what you have until you ask. BTW, the family name of the second of four French brothers that came to this country in 1526 dies with me. All my kids are Girls but they are wonderful anyway.
My point is that because of peer pressure and Bullying I know how close I came to being a real 'Bad person'. A high School football star changed his mind and stopped his bullying, took me under his protection and made a life altering change in my persona. I now tremble with angst at the thought of how close I came to a bad life. To the boy named Osama I say, I stand ready to be your friend even if we never meet.

[pmpsmom]

I feel that the school is suppose to be a suportive and willing to help a child through there years. I dont agree with this at all the teachers are in the wrong he did not pick his name his parents why pick on him.

Keep your head up and show everyone what you can do

[questionnews]

In High School we had a guy named Kevin Winternight. I thought it was kinda of a cool name until some teacher let it be known that his middlename was (no kidding) "Frosty". The kid was never treated the same after that. What the parents were thinking I'll never know but it turn a outgoing kid into a wall flower.

[islandlove71]

You should all be ashamed of yourselves for taking the teachers side on this. Let us all put ourselves in this kids shoes and just sit there and think of all that abuse from adults. GOD! What has our world come too.....

Osama be proud of you who are does not matter what your name is

[pakaal]

As with everything in life, this is also a choice. If you choose to continue to go by your first name, then you have to expect the consequences so shut up about it!
Posted by justfacts2 at 04:20 PM : Jun 12, 2007

Yeah, screw that "respect for others" thing, if he has a name someone else doesn't like, he should expect to be mocked for it by classmates and teachers, 'cause he's choosing to use that name.

Hey justfacts2 explain again, how does being forced to change one's name, or forced to use another name constitute a "choice"? Be honest now, the REAL reason you don't care about this kid's situation is because he's a Muslim named Osama, and you think he deserves what he gets.

[thelma_doty]

Prosecute the teachers and take away their teaching certificates. They have no business in our schools!
For three years I had the same teacher, all of the smart kids; lined up desks along one wall; all of the stupid ones along the other wall of her class.
Stupid kids were told to drop their homework into the trash upon entering her class in the morning. And were told thats an F!
Gospel music blaring and her sitting there swearing, and calling students names.
Several parents complained to the school board, and went all the way to the state education board. ONLY to be told... she has a terminal illness and we won't allow her to lose her benefits,medical insurance or retirement!
So, most of the students in the stupid section of her classes those three years, dropped out of school.
She finally passed away.... what a legacy to leave behind

[badgerman696]

Those who cannot, or will not, believe a teacher told this boy stuff to tease him or make him feel bad cannot be teachers. As an RN I was hired into a Texas program that utilizes non-education major adults as instructors in the fields they do work in to intro kids to the "real world". I could not understand why some of the "regular" teachers ever stayed on in teaching or why they ever entered the field at all.

To hear teachers, and thankfully the very smallest percentage of them, say things like "I hate kids. I absolutely hate kids and that's why teachers need 3 months off in summer" or "That kid's parents are totally stupid. That explains why the kid is too" and on ad infinitum.

This suit may have taken 2 years to form or come to fruition. But if it's close to what has been presented in this story, I hope the family prevails. The kind of emotional trauma that develops from cases like the one described goes deep into a persons psyche and can alter their own image of self.

[linfinster]

Not enough info to go on in this story. We don't really know what's going on. But if it is as it appears, shame shame on those adults! I do hope this boy learns to care about his fellow man and be able to deal with this difficult issue. Osama be proud of your name! It was given to you out of love!

[jeffmugsy]

People can be so cruel....
I know how this kid feels...my boy is named George... and every day he goes to school... he is taunted by students and teachers alike. They call him "miserable failure", "war criminal", "incompetent ***", "***" etc. It's really bad. I'm worried about my when my daughter *** (short for Richard) starts kindergarten next year.

[shammy0202]

Oh believe me I do know that teachers as well as students can be very cruel. I lived it. No we did not talk about law suits or anything like that but some of the teachers I had were inhumane to say the least. I am a better person now because of the things my brother and I went through. So don't think teachers are sweet and innocent, some of them are not.

[nickdaytona]

$!

The terms Law Suit tells you what this is really about.

The incident happened years ago and the parents are only now getting around to dealing with it ... with a potentially profitable law suit. It's a money game.

Although I give the kid credit, he looks very sad in his photo. I guess it's taken two years for the incident to really sink in. Any chance that he's just very well coached by his family lawyer?

[infidel_us]

My new name is now Hillary Rodham