"You don't go from hitting your foot to 'f****** n*****.' Life doesn't work that way. This is repetitive behavior," he told CBS News. "I ask the question: what could he have done? What could the 10-year-old do to Homer to deserve to be called a 'f****** n*****?'" Karim revealed that his family lives a quiet life in Johnson County running a small catering business and restaurant. Recounting the events leading up to the visuals captured on camera, he shared that he had asked Homer for directions to a dressing room. When he returned from the dressing room, Karim said he found his son in tears. "A tear came out my baby's eye and he said, 'Dad, you didn't hear what that man just called me?'" he shared. When other witnesses confirmed what had happened, Karim remained calm despite seething with anger. What happened next is what we see in the now-viral video, where the dad calmly tells the clerk that he would never have so disrespected his family and that he is a man of "grace and honor." Karim admits that refusing to give in to the anger wasn't easy. He credits his faith for helping him maintain composure even under those circumstances. "The best decision at that moment," he said, "was to do what was right." "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." Karim revealed that his son still feels traumatized by the experience. "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. Karim added that he too is struggling to cope with the incident and its impact on his family. "I can't allow for my emotions to overshadow them in this particular time. So, I'm doing the best that I can to protect them," he said. Homer, who told Karim that he had worked at Dillard's for more than 20 years, is no longer employed at the store. "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," Dillard's corporate office said in a statement.
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