MEDIA ADVISORY: CAIR-Chicago, Wadee Alfayoumi’s Family, & Community to Dedicate Monument Honoring Muslim Child Killed in Anti-Palestinian Hate Crime

- For Immediate Release and Distribution -

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(CHICAGO, IL, 6/25/25)– The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will join the family of Wadee Alfayoumi, community members, officials, interfaith leaders, and advocates at a public unveiling and dedication ceremony for the newly installed Wadee Monument in memory of Wadee Alfayoumi—an innocent six-year-old boy brutally murdered in an anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim hate crime in Plainfield, IL in October 2023. 

SEE—CNN: Palestinian-American boy killed and his mother injured after landlord stabs them because they were Muslim, authorities say 

WHAT: Wadee Monument Dedication Ceremony 

WHEN: Saturday, June 28, 2025 

• 8:00 a.m. - WADEE WOD (Workout of the Day  – optional fitness tribute at fitness pad NW of playground) 

• 10:00 a.m. -  Program begins 

WHERE: Van Horn Woods East Playground 

• Press parking: 17200 NE Frontage Rd, Plainfield, IL 60586 

• General public parking: 17201 S Lily Cache Rd, Plainfield, IL 60586 

• Walk to: Van Horn Woods East Playground 

WHO (Scheduled speakers): 

• Sheikh Hassan Aly (Opening Prayer) 

• Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago 

• Pastor Fran Leeman 

• Professor Jane Ramsey 

• Village of Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis 

• Social workers Bonnie McPhilips & Brittany Gruver, Will County Sheriff’s Dept.  

• Trisha Mathias (Wadee’s teacher) 

• Soha Khatib, Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) 

WHY: 

The event follows the recent conviction of Wadee’s killer who was found guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and a hate crime. Wadee’s tragic murder sent shockwaves through the nation and galvanized public outcry. The ceremony reaffirms the community’s commitment to peace, remembrance, and justice against bigotry. 

SEE—CAIR’s Civil Rights Report Shows Islamophobia Complaints at All-Time High, Viewpoint Discrimination Key Factor 

“This monument acts as a memorial to the beautiful life of Wadee, a statement against the anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate that took his young life, and a testament that he will never be forgotten,” said Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago. 

SEE— AP NEWS: Jury finds Illinois landlord guilty of murder, hate crime in 2023 attack on Palestinian American boy 

CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance. 

CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com | Hafsa Haider, Communications Coordinator of CAIR-Chicago, 561-317-7509, hhaider@cair.com  

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