Report: Pearland substitute teacher calls police on Muslim 6-year-old with Down syndrome

A substitute teacher working at CJ Harris Elementary School in Pearland allegedly called police to report a six-year-old Muslim child with Down's syndrome was a possible terrorist.

According to a report by by Fox 26 Houston, the teacher claimed to police that she heard the child say "Allah" and "boom" several times in class.

The child's father, Maher Suleiman, told the TV station that his child "doesn't speak at all," making the teacher's claims impossible.

Suleiman said Monday that because there is an ongoing investigation, he and his family were unable to make comments regarding the case at this time.

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Social activist Quanell X said that when the family reached out to him for help, he was initially skeptical.

"When the father first reached out to me, I really didn't think the story was completely true," he said. "I thought maybe because he was an immigrant, his English was not great, maybe he was a little confused about what was happening. But as my office began to work on it, we found his story to be true. How can you go after a six-year-old child and call him a terrorist?"

Quanell X said the case became further complicated when he met the child.

"This substitute teacher alleges that this six-year-old child was saying terroristic things," he said. "I've met this child. He cannot speak. He is severely, severely special needs. He has the mental capacity of a one-year-old. I couldn't believe (the substitute teacher's) story had gone to this degree – it's extreme. To me, this is a case of some of the worst religious bigotry I have ever seen, and it's specifically targeting a Muslim family."

X said that he has been helping the family during ensuing investigations from the police and Child Protective Services.

"To give the police credit, when I spoke to the assistant police chief in Pearland, the man was honest, respectful and believed this was extreme, but they had to follow protocol," X said. "I was just surprised that CPS was involved. What are they investigating? Neglect? Abuse? I didn't realize Child Protective Services had a division that was trained to spot out Islamic terrorism."

Tiffani Butler, media specialist for Child Protective Services confirmed that the case is currently under investigation by their office.

"The only reason we would be involved is because it's something that happened at school," Butler said.

The incident comes just months following a tumultuous city council election, where Position 7 Councilman Woody Owens was sharply criticized for sharing what many considered anti-Muslim messages on his personal Facebook page prior to his campaign against Dalia Kasseb, a 30-year-old pharmacist and the first Muslim candidate to run for office in the City of Pearland.

X said he hopes the Pearland community will reach out and support the Suleiman family. "Pearland needs to come together and say, 'Wait a minute. We aren't ok with this.'"