Fitchburg, NA – A teenager who was falsely portrayed by a newspaper as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings says others should use their problems as motivation to be successful.
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Salah Barhoum was 16 when a picture of him and a friend appeared on the front page of the New York Post three days after the bombing with the headline “Bag Men.” The sub-headline was “Feds seek these two pictured at Boston Marathon.”
Barhoum is now 19 and a student at Fitchburg State University. Speaking Thursday at the university, he said he’s faced racism, stereotyping and hatred since the photo and headline ran, as well as threats. He says he was afraid to leave his house, became depressed and his grades also fell.
Barhoum sued the newspaper for defamation and reached a settlement for undisclosed terms.
Perhaps,….perhaps,……just maybe,……Salah Barhoum could issue a statement condemning the Boston attacks among other terrorist acts committed by his co-coreligionists which was the catalyst for his being falsely accused in the first place? Guilt by association, ya know?
I mean, couldn’t someone appreciate the opportunities that America provides while still maintaining his devout Islamic faith?
Naaaaaaaah.