One year after the murder of Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy from Plainfield, Illinois, his memory is driving national policy and uniting Chicago communities.
Last October, Alfayoumi was killed in a hate crime by his family’s landlord, Joseph Czuba. Czuba was reportedly aggravated by the ongoing war in Gaza, attacking the family because they were Muslim, according to the resolution. Wadee Alfayoumi’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, survived the attack.
“We lost a light when Wadee Alfayoumi – a 6-year-old boy beloved by his community – was the victim of an anti-Palestinian hate crime instigated by dehumanizing rhetoric,” Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) said in a statement on Oct. 14. “Today, bigotry and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to put children across the world at risk.”
Wadee Alfayoumi’s murder came just a week after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli officials. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.
Now, the Muslim Civic Coalition in Chicago and several Illinois officials are honoring Wadee Alfayoumi’s memory, pushing for the Wadee Resolution to pass both chambers of Congress.
Wadee Resolution opposes hate crimes
The “Wadee Resolution,” the colloquial name for S. Res. 847 and H. Con. Res. 99, honors Wadee Alfayoumi and states that the United States has “zero tolerance” for hate crimes, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab discrimination. It also acknowledges a rise of disinformation and hate, demanding media and government officials speak without using “dehumanizing rhetoric.”
“(Wadee) was loved by his family and friends as an energetic, loving, and joyous light who brought sunshine to his loved ones and classmates,” the resolution reads.
The bicameral resolution was introduced in March 2024 by Ramirez, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). The resolution passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Sept. 24 and is awaiting passage in the House.
A congressional hearing, pushed by the coalition in tandem with the resolution, prompted senators to discuss the problem of hate crimes on Sept. 17, 2024. The hearing highlighted the problematic rhetoric the resolution addresses.
“It’s very important to understand that political rhetoric is based on dehumanization and false narratives of a people,” said Maaria Mozaffar, the legislative consultant for the Muslim Civic Coalition. “Unfortunately, it was a tragic situation with Wadee, but it’s happening around the country on campuses where individuals are being misrepresented.”
Illinois politicians and local organizations craft the resolution
The resolution was championed by the Muslim Civic Coalition, a Chicago organization dedicated to civic justice for Muslims through legislation and other initiatives. The coalition is partnered with over a hundred local and national groups, including CAIR Chicago and the League of Women Voters of Evanston.
Mozaffar said her team was inspired to write the resolution to honor Wadee Alfayoumi and counter dangerous speech that promotes hate and violence.
According to the resolution, Czuba was a “consumer” of media containing anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“Political rhetoric in this country is extremely dangerous and can lead to dehumanization,” Mozaffar said. “We wanted to make sure that we wrote a resolution that made sure that no child, regardless of identity, ethnicity, race or religion, would have to suffer the same way.”
Amina Barhumi, the advocacy and policy lead at the Muslim Civic Coalition, said Hanan Shaheen was consulted in the process of creating the resolution.
Ultimately, Barhumi said, it’s crucial to “root and center those that are most impacted” in civic work.
Ramirez is still pushing for the resolution to pass in the House. On the anniversary of Wadee Alfayoumi’s death last week, she called on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) to follow the Senate’s lead and bring the resolution to the House floor.
Ramirez was motivated to work on the resolution in part because of her upbringing, she said.
“My faith and my parents’ teachings encourage me to be an instrument of peace. I put those teachings into practice through policies that stand against hate and affirm our shared humanity,” Ramirez wrote in an email to The Daily.
Local response to the Wadee Resolution
Will County Board Member Mica Freeman, a Democrat from Plainfield, said she is “proud of our representatives in elected office for taking steps toward a future without discrimination” in the U.S.
Freeman said Wadee Alfayoumi’s death left the Plainfield community reeling. In the immediate aftermath, there was a vigil at the Plainfield Park District, where Freeman said the community came together to mourn.
“The night of the vigil, I remember standing in that room, surrounded by thousands of strangers, and feeling overcome by loss and hurt, but grateful for the ties that unite us. We showed up as one Plainfield to support our neighbors,” Freeman told The Daily.
A year after his death, the Plainfield community memorialized Wadee Alfayoumi with a Plainfield ComeYounity Day, which included testimonies from residents, a poem reading, community-building activities and the release of balloons with messages from community members.
The Muslim Community Center in Chicago also held a memorial service last week.
Freeman said the one year anniversary was bittersweet.
“While the one year anniversary of his passing felt hard, I also think it’s important to memorialize how we remember little Wadee every day,” Freeman said. “There is still a memorial outside his childhood home, filled with toys and cards and flowers.”
Clarification: This story has been updated to better reflect Hanan Shaheen’s role in the creation of the Wadee Resolution.
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