Mohammed Sakaway Hossain.

DEADLY ASSAULT

Bangladeshi American Teen Killed in Brooklyn

A Bangladeshi American teen was stabbed and beaten to death in Brooklyn by a group of men, police said, in the second attack of this kind in recent months.

Mohammed Sakaway Hossain, 18, died after the attack in Borough Park. Investigators said he had been walking with a high school friend when they encountered the group of men — who were Latino — and had some sort of argument, which escalated. Hossain was then fatally stabbed five times and bludgeoned with a baseball bat. He died later at Maimonides Medical Center. His friend, Rashad Hassan, managed to flee the attack and escape without injury.

Police later arrested two suspects, Charles Durante and Javier Amignan. Durante is charged with manslaughter and gang assault, while Amignan is charged with gang assault. Neither has been charged with a bias crime. Police said they are searching for two other suspects and are continuing to investigate what sparked the altercation.

The attack came just two months after another Bangladeshi immigrant, 37-year-old photojournalist Mizanor Rahman, was bludgeoned to death in Brooklyn. Two men were later arrested and confessed to that killing.

Hossain, a student at the College of Staten Island, immigrated from Bangladesh with his family when he was 12 years old. Relatives praised him as an outstanding student, who dreamed of becoming an electrical engineer. He also worked two jobs to help support his family, they said.

“I don’t understand why they had to kill him,” said a cousin, also named Mohammed Hossain.

A public viewing and Islamic prayer ceremony were held outside the Bangladesh Muslim Center in Brooklyn, drawing 2,000 mourners who crowded the street to pray for the slain student. Hossain’s body was then flown to Bangladesh for burial.

Local civil rights advocates have denounced the killing and are calling for the attack to be recognized as a hate crime.

“It is imperative that people come together and speak out,” said Norman Siegal, former head of the New York Civil Liberties Union, at a candlelight vigil for the victim. “Silence is tantamount to condoning this act.”

Eric Adams, president of the organization 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, said the attack should have been labeled a bias crime. “Hate was involved,” he said.

This weekend, about 1,000 members of the Bangladeshi community gathered in the rain with members of Hossain’s family and local Latino community leaders at the corner where Hossain was killed.

Protesters chanted “Justice!” and sang prayers for the victim. Some called for a community meeting to ease what they see as growing tensions between the South Asian community and the Latino community.

“We are a peaceful people,” said Dr. Mohammad Mia, president of the Bangladeshi Society, a local community organization. “We are a law-abiding people in the United States.”

Others urged against a rush to judgment.

“We don’t know at this point what brought the dispute,” said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. “We need to wait for the facts and the evidence.”

— By Heather Harlan, Special to AsianWeek

NEW TRADITIONS

Central Valley Hmong Honor Veterans

Chai Vang was 18 years old, and living in his home country of Laos, when he joined the CIA effort to fight the North Vietnamese in the Vietnam War.

“Our country had problems, so we have to fight,” Vang said of the communism that was taking over his homeland.

Vang, who suffered bullet wounds to the back and ear, was one of several Hmong veterans whose service was remembered during Hmong New Year celebrations in Modesto, Calif. on Saturday, with traditional music and dance.

Organizer Chong Yang, president of the Hmong Association of Stanislaus County, said this was the first time Hmong veterans were honored during a New Year celebration.

“It will also educate our young people that their father, grandfather or uncle fought in the war,” Yang said. “Our young people are starting to forget; and it will also help us to educate the American community [about Hmong involvement in the war].”

The United States recruited Hmong to fight against communists moving through Laos to South Vietnam. They were asked to rescue American fighter pilots and reduce ammunition and troops reaching South Vietnam. About 40,000 Hmong died from injuries or were killed in the fighting.

Many Hmong fled persecution in their country after the spread of communism. Many came to the United States, which acknowledged their service and authorized their entry to the country.

Today, California’s population includes 70,000 Hmong, one of the nation’s largest Hmong populations. The San Joaquin Valley has the largest concentration of Hmong, with more than 36,000 living within San Joaquin and Kern counties.

Hmong don’t have a set date to celebrate the new year. They wait until after the harvest, when families have time to relax, said Tou N. Herr, a Hmong man who works in student support services at California State University, Fresno.

New Year celebrations will continue through Dec. 26, when one of the largest celebrations kicks off in Fresno. Several thousand people from around the world attend the week-long celebration, which includes traditional dance, foods and sports competitions.

— By Kim Baca, A.P.

Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Former UC Berkeley Chancellor Remembered

Family, friends and UC Berkeley students remembered former Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien as a leader with infectious optimism and a professor with high expectations.

More than 1,000 people gathered Nov. 14 at UC Berkeley for a memorial service that celebrated Tien’s energy, his dedication and his love for the university’s football team.

“No tribute to Chang-Lin would be complete without acknowledging his passion and commitment to the success of students,” said UC President Richard Atkinson.

Tien died Oct. 29 after he suffered a stroke that resulted from surgery for a brain tumor.

Tien was the first Asian Pacific American to head a major U.S. university. He also was a fixture at Berkeley games and rallies.

“He exemplifies the Cal spirit,” said Berkeley Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl.

Tien’s deep belief in Berkeley animated everything he did. Those present at his memorial also remembered him for his dedication to diversity and affirmative action.

In 1995, UC regents voted 14-10 to drop UC’s affirmative action programs. Tien argued for keeping race-based admissions and later publicly lamented the drop in the number of Hispanic and black students at Berkeley following the vote.

“We can best memorialize him by making certain this university remains an open place of opportunity,” Berdahl said.

For his son, Norman Tien, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC Davis, his father’s legacy will live on.

“My father was a giant who straddled so many different worlds,” he said. “He lives on in the hearts of each of the many people that he inspired in so many ways.”

UC Berkeley’s marching band closed the memorial service with the school’s fight song. Tien’s name also will be immortalized at UC Berkeley, where the Chang-Lin Tien Center for East Asian Studies will be created.

Compiled by Neela Banerjee.