Plainfield vigil for slain Muslim boy calls for stand against hatred, bigotry

Visitors who came to a vigil for a Muslim child in Plainfield were encouraged to rise above the hate that authorities said motivated his killer and not dehumanize Muslims amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

More than a thousand and possibly two thousand people attended the vigil on Tuesday in honor of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume. The vigil took place inside of a packed gymnasium at Prairie Activity and Recreation Center, 24550 W. Renwick Road, Plainfield.

Wadea’s life was brutally cut short on Oct. 14 after he was stabbed about 26 times at a residence at 16201 S. Lincoln Highway in Plainfield Township.

Wadea’s mother, Hanaan Shahin, was also attacked but managed to survive.

Will County prosecutors have charged their landlord, Joseph Czuba, 71, with Wadea’s murder and Shahin’s attempted murder, as well as committing a hate crime against the mother and child based on their Islamic faith.

The attack sent shockwaves across the nation and the world when authorities revealed Czuba targeted Shahin and her child after becoming increasingly angry and paranoid over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The FBI and other federal authorities have opened a hate crime investigation into the incident.

At Tuesday’s vigil, Plainfield Village President John Argoudelis told the crowd that the community rejects the hate that motived the death of the child.

He noted that religious officials from local places of worship were at the vigil, such as The Mecca Center, All Saints Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish Church and Plainfield United Methodist Church.

“We categorically reject the motivations of this killer. We reject his prejudice, we reject his hate and we stand together against them because we are Plainfield,” Argoudelis said.

Wadea’s father, Oday Al-Fayoume, attended the vigil with his family, who were surprised by the size and diversity of the crowd. The father asked the crowd what they believed his son was doing in a photo where he’s wearing a birthday hat and making a hand gesture.

“Okay, Wadea in this picture, he was waiting for me to complete the half of heart, he was making like this,” he said.

Zaki Basalath, of the Islamic Foundation of Southwest Suburbs in Plainfield, wanted the crowd to take notice of one boy at the vigil who held a sign that said, “I am not a threat!” The sign bore the symbol for the flag of Palestine.

Basalath asked the crowd what the difference was between the boy and Wadea.

“Please, think about this. This is not a threat. These young lives are not a threat in this community. We are part of the community,” Basalath said.

Juhie Faheem, a clinical psychotherapist who helped organized the vigil, said Wadea was a “beautiful young boy” and nobody would have been able to tell from his pictures his faith or ethnicity.

“He didn’t wear a sign or a neckless stating he was Muslim. He wore a smile on his face stating he was a child, a child filled with love [and] not hate,” Faheem said.

Cynthia Glass, the mother of Dexter, a friend of Wadea, spoke about the relationship between the two boys. She said she wanted to see the community supporting each other rather than politicizing the incident.

“Everyone can have their opinion but this is about a child,” Glass said.

One moment in the vigil that was marked by controversy was a speech from Dilawar Syed, deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Argoudelis said Syed is the highest-ranking Muslim official in U.S. President Joe Biden’s office.

“As a father, as a Muslim and as an American, I share your grief. On behalf of the Biden-Harris administration, we send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Wadea Al-Fayoume’s family,” Syed said.

Some people in the crowd asked loudly why Biden was not in attendance himself, with others noting he was in Israel. Others yelled out that Biden had “blood on his hands,” and “Biden is responsible!”

Syed said Biden has been “very, very clear, there is no place for hate,” but he was interrupted by boos from some in the crowd.

Another person in the crowd yelled out, “Be respectful! We are Plainfield strong! We are here for Wadea.”

DuPage Township Trustee Reem Townsend called for the media and elected officials to be “more unbiased and responsible with what they are sharing,” which drew a large round of applause. Townsend said “hate-filled rhetoric” leads to “hate-filled violence.”

“I do not want our actions to end here. Please remember your Muslim Palestinians friends are people too,” Townsend said.

Zulfie Khan, of Al-Aqsa Community Center in Plainfield, said he wanted the “energy, the love, the commitment and the understanding” among the visitors of the vigil should not end “as we walk out those doors.”

“It should be the beginning,” Khan said.