4 Teen Bullies Charged With Anti-Muslim Hate Crime

Four Staten Island teens accused of bullying a Muslim classmate are now facing hate crime charges, say New York City police. The Staten Island Advance says the incidents occurred from October 2009 to June 2010. Authorities say the bullies called the boy a "terrorist," frequently punched him in the groin, and spit in his face.

The boy said he hoped the bullying would end when he left intermediate school. He finally told his family after learning that two of the alleged tormentors were in his high school class. Three 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old have been charged with assault and aggravated harassment as a hate crime. The Muslim family immigrated from Trinidad in the 1980s. (More Muslim stories.)