Feroz Alam Khan
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- Family of Muslim boy say he was bullied at school and called a terrorist
- After 15 minutes of abuse, lawsuit says Nashawn Uppal agreed with his tormentors despite not knowing what 'terrorist' meant
- Suit says the following day he was taken from class and interrogated by senior staff who forced him to sign a confession
- That is despite the fact that Nashawn has well-documented learning difficulties which mean he struggles to grasp the meaning of words
- Mother alleges that she was not contacted before Nashawn was questioned, and he was barred from speaking to her
PUBLISHED: 21:37 GMT, 17 August 2016 | UPDATED: 01:20 GMT, 18 August 2016
A Muslim mother is suing a New York school district after claiming her disabled son was forced to sign a confession saying he was part of ISIS.
Nubaisha Uppal, from Long Island, claims senior staff at East Islip Middle School bullied 12-year-old son Nashawn into falsely confessing he was a terrorist.
Attorney David Antwork said Nashawn, who emigrated to the US from Pakistan, was pressured into signing the confession despite not knowing what the word 'terrorist' meant because of his severe social and learning difficulties.
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Nubaisha Uppal (right), the mother of 12-year-old Nashawn (left), says her son was kept out of school for a month after being forced into signing a confession saying he was a terrorist
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Uppal claims Nashawn was accused of being a terrorist by bullies, eventually agreeing with them despite not knowing what the word meant because of his learning difficulties.
The abuse continued 'unnoticed or ignored' for ten to 15 minutes, the suit alleges, before Nashawn finally agreed with his tormentors that he was a terrorist.
When he was asked what he planned to blow next, he responded 'the fence.'
The suit alleges that Nashawn was only repeating the word 'terrorist' without knowing what it meant, and when questioned later said it referred to 'someone who travels', like a tourist.
When asked what he was planning to attack, the boy responded 'fence' because it was the first thing he saw when looking at the window, the suit contests.
The family say the following day assistant principal Jason Stanton removed Nashawn from a gym class and took him to his office.
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Uppal says her son was then removed from gym class the following day and interrogated by senior school staff over his alleged terrorism links
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A lawsuit from Uppal accuses assistant principal Jason Stanton of forcing Nashawn to sign a confession saying he was part of ISIS and knew how to make bombs
Inside the office Stanton was joined by principal Mark Bernard, the suit states, before the pair aggressively questioned Nashawn over his terrorism claims.
The family allege Nashawn was asked whether he was a member of ISIS, asked if he knew how to make bombs, and if he knew who 'Osama' was - in reference to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
When Nashawn denied the claims, Stanton allegedly yelled at him 'don't lie to us', 'yes, you do' and was told 'you did say all of this'.
The suit says that neither Stanton nor Bernard called Ms Uppal to tell her that her son was in trouble, and did not explain to Nashawn that he had the right to remain silent.
After questioning had finished, Bernard left the office before Stanton conducted an illegal search of Nashawn's bag, the suit alleges.
Stanton is then accused of telling Nashawn that he had to write a confession admitting he was part of ISIS and knew how to make bombs before he would be allowed to leave the office.
Nashawn did write a confession saying he was a terrorist, according to the suit, but Stanton allegedly tore it up because it did not directly reference ISIS or bomb-making.
Stanton is accused of forcing him to write a second confession before calling school security officers and police to Bernard's office.
There, the officers are accused of interrogating Nashawn further, while telling him not to answer calls or texts from his mother, who was waiting at the school gate.
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The lawsuit says that school officials were well aware of Nashawn's learning difficulties, and notes that he was previously referred to as a 'sweet, well-mannered boy'
Eventually, the suit says, Ms Uppal was invited into the office and informed of what had happened, before being told that her son was barred from school grounds for a week because of 'criminal activity'.
In fact, Nashawn was out of school for a month, the lawsuit alleges.
Police were also called to search Nashawn's locker, wallet and phone, as well as the family home and computer.
When nothing was found, the family were told that the 'case was closed' and no further action would be taken, the suit claims.
Meanwhile the bullies who are accused of tormenting Nashawn have received no punishment at all, Antwork claims.
As part of the suit, Antwork has submitted assessments of Nashawn's mental capacity by the district's own staff, in which it is made clear that he is unable to understand the meaning of basic words, or follow logic in sentences.
Elsewhere it is noted that Nashawn is typically a 'sweet, well-mannered and cooperative child' despite his disability.
According to Newsday, Suffolk police have refused to comment on the case, while a call by Dailymail.com to East Islip School District went unanswered.
The family are now suing for $25million in compensatory and punitive damages, alleging that they have suffered nightmares, sleeplessness, fear, and stress as a result of the questioning.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...orced-sign-ISIS-confession.html#ixzz4Hea9QTV6
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