(CHICAGO, IL, 10/22/26) - The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the filing of hate crime charges against an Orland Park man following an Islamophobic and xenophobic attack targeting a woman perceived to be “Middle Eastern” in Tinley Park.
According to prosecutors and local reports, the suspect allegedly subjected the victim to harassment, including calling her a “terrorist,” leaving a sexually obscene voicemail, and threatening to throw a fragmentation grenade at her. Law enforcement subsequently arrested and charged the individual with felony hate crimes.
“Alleged threats of physical violence, combined with vile bigoted slurs like ‘terrorist,’ are designed to terrorize individuals simply because of their perceived identity,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. “We welcome these hate crime charges and urge our justice system to send a clear message that bigotry, harassment, and violent intimidation have no place in our neighborhoods.”
He noted that CAIR-Chicago recently welcomed the issuance of an arrest warrant and criminal charges—including three hate crimes—against a Wilmington, Illinois, man who allegedly threatened to kill “Middle Eastern” home buyers and a real estate agent, if they purchased a home in his neighborhood.
Rehab added that earlier this month, CAIR-Chicago welcomed the filing of multiple felony hate crime charges against a Des Plaines man who allegedly threatened to shoot three Muslim women wearing hijabs at Lake Opeka (Lake Park) while shouting white supremacist slogans.
CAIR-Chicago continues to monitor the case and encourages anyone experiencing hate incidents or discrimination to report them to the organization’s civil rights department.
CAIR-Chicago encourages anyone experiencing or witnessing bias or discrimination to report incidents immediately to its civil rights department at www.cairchicago.org/get-help.
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CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago arehab@cair.com; Jordan Esparza-Kelley, Communications Coordinator, j-esparzakelley@cair.com