Now Shoaib is facing what appears to be ethnic intimidation again. He says he is harassed by his neighbors everyday with profanity and racial slurs, but matters became too difficult to ignore recently when the vehicle parked outside his home was vandalized.

In November 2006 Egyptian American Shafik Shoaib was physically attacked in his Detroit home after a group of people broke in leaving him hospitalized with stitches, and disabled to walk.  

The perpetrators didn’t break-in to rob Shoaib, instead the attack was racially motivated according to him, and racial slurs  were used. Now Shoaib is facing what appears to be ethnic intimidation again. He says he is harassed by his neighbor everyday with profanity, and racial slurs, but matters became too difficult to ignore recently when the vehicle parked outside his home was vandalized. 

The exterior of Shoaib’s blue van was spray painted with white colored graffiti of male genitalia among other images.  The Detroit Police are working on the case, however Shoaib is disappointed that the police didn’t approach the neighbor’s home who’s suspected of carrying out the vandalism and has been verbally harassing him. 

The Detroit Council on American Islamic Relations is investigating the case. Shoaib has been in the United States for 35 years, however after the discrimination he’s faced he doesn’t feel at home. He says his wife wants to move back to Egypt. “She’s always saying ‘that’s it, I want to move back, what kind of life is this,’” he said. 

Shoaib hopes to move out of the neighborhood.  One of Shoaib’s neighbors who owns a auto shop offered to fix the vehicle for free, otherwise Shoaib would have to cover the expenses himself. 

Shoaib never recovered from the 2006 incident, along with his children who he says witnessed the whole attack, which was eventually investigated by the FBI, and some of the people involved were fined in court. Shoaib is afraid that the violence towards him and his family will only escalate. “First this, what’s next. I’m afraid another incident similar to what happened in 2006 will occur, but it could even be worse,” Shoaib said. Everyday Shoaib and his family live in fear. “My children and my wife feel like they’re in prison,” he said. Shoaib says his children can’t play outside because he’s afraid for their safety. He has four children ages 17, 13, 11 and 10. 

He says the neighbor who’s intimidating him doesn’t miss any opportunity she gets to intervene in his day. “If I go outside she will do something. We feel like we’re in a war zone.”