A Texas man, who was filmed calmly reprimanding a White clerk at a Dillards’s store after he called his 10-year-old son the N-word, said he chose not to let his anger get the best of him because of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
In an interview with CBS News, Muhammad Karim said the store clerk used the racial slur after he asked him for directions to a dressing room. He said he came back to see his son crying after the minor heard the White clerk refer to them as “f****** n*****s.”
The worker, who identified himself as Homer, has since been fired.
In the video that has since been viewed more than 3 million times, Karim is heard telling the White worker, “My 10-year-old son heard you call me a ‘f****** n*****.’ I want you to know it’s unacceptable. You shouldn’t do that. You’re too old for that.”
“I carry myself with honor,” he adds. “I would never disrespect any human being by calling them outside of their name.”
“You don’t know the impact of what you’ve done to my son. Or maybe you were unaware.”
Homer is heard telling Karim he did not know the 10-year-old was present when he used the slur. “It doesn’t matter about you noticing. You shouldn’t be speaking that way. Period,” Karim responds.
And though Homer claimed he became agitated after hurting his leg, Karim told him it wasn’t a reasonable excuse. The White clerk also denied using the racial slur.
“You don’t know what straw could break the camel’s back. You disrespected myself. Disrespected my family,” Karim is heard saying. “I would never do your children, your family, or even you. Nobody living, I would never treat anybody that way.”
In the aftermath of the incident, Karim told CBS News that he refused to be angry because of his faith. “The Prophet Muhammad says ‘don’t be angry. Don’t be angry. Don’t be angry’,” he said. “I’ll be honest with you. I was angry. I was livid,” he said, adding that Homer’s excuse did not add up.
“You don’t go from hitting your foot to ‘f****** n*****.’ Life doesn’t work that way. This is repetitive behavior.”
Dillard’s released a statement saying the White store clerk has since been fired. “The allegations made against our former employee were promptly investigated, found to be in clear violation of our standards, and his employment with Dillard’s was immediately terminated.”
But Karim said the incident has negatively impacted his son and wife. “I don’t think Homer understands the impact of his words. My Honey [the family nickname for the child known for being so kind] is scared to come outside. He thinks that every white person is out to get him. How do you explain it?” he said.
And though Karim was lauded on social media for his reaction, he said he’s also reeling from the effects of Homer’s actions. “I can’t allow for my emotions to overshadow them in this particular time,” he said. “So, I’m doing the best that I can to protect them.”
A racist employee at a Dillard’s in Dallas calls a father the n-word before being confronted by him in a very graceful way pic.twitter.com/W4mo6ygOio
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) July 29, 2022
