2 days ago
Monument unveiled in Plainfield for slain boy whose death ‘touched many hearts and opened the eyes of the community'
Before the unveiling of a monument honoring the life of Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Plainfield Township boy who was brutally murdered for his Palestinian and Muslim heritage, his father stepped up to the podium.
His heart heavy, Wadee's father, Odai Alfayoumi, had not intended to speak at the monument's dedication ceremony Saturday, but was moved to do so after seeing the large gathering at the Van Horn Woods playground, said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
'I have run out of words of thanks,' Alfayoumi said in Arabic as Rehab translated. 'You guys seem like you will not forget my son, and for that I am eternally grateful to you.
'When I came to this country, I was alone with little money, and then we were two,' Alfayoumi said. 'I had a young, beautiful son who was everything to me. And then he was taken from me, and I was one again. But now I feel like we are so many, and you are all my family. You are all my extended family.'
Alfayoumi thanked the crowd for attending the ceremony and urged everyone to stay strong against hate.
Wadee was killed at his home on Oct. 14, 2023 in what Will County prosecutors described as a hate-fueled crime.
Joseph Czuba, who rented space in his home to Wadee and his mother, Hanan Shaheen, attacked the two with a knife, stabbing Wadee 26 times. Czuba was sentenced last month to 53 years in prison for Wadee's murder, the attempted murder of Shaheen, aggravated battery and committing a hate crime.
Plainfield man sentenced to 53 years in prison for hate crime in killing of 6-year-old Palestinian American boyThe monument, a black silhouette of Wadee making a heart with his hand, is located at a Plainfield park where Wadee would often attend. The silhouette is based on a picture of Wadee wearing a birthday hat that was taken shortly before his death.
'Wadee used to play regularly at this very park, and our solace is he is now playing at a park far more perfect in heaven with the Lord above,' Rehab said.
The base of the monument in part reads, 'Hate has no home in Plainfield. Rest in peace, our angel. We will never forget.'
'His life, though short, touched many hearts and opened the eyes of the community to an urgent need for compassion, unity and justice,' the artist Syed Rahman said. 'This art was created to preserve Wadee's spirit.'
It's simple, but powerful, Rahman said. The heart symbolizes the love Wadee gave, the love he deserved and the love the community must carry forward in his name, he said.
'I never want to make another monument for a child again,' he said. 'May this place be a source of healing. May it inspire courage, hope and unerring love for Wadee and every other child.'
Cub Scouts Pack 99 of the Midwest Islamic Scouting Council, which serves the western suburbs, raised $10,000 for the monument. There were a long line of donors wanting to contribute, and the funds were raised quickly, said Mir Y. Ali, a committee chair with the pack.
'As soon as we put the message out for donations, it was already done,' he said.
Mohammed Faheem, president and founder of American Muslims Assisting Neighbors, said the group asked the Plainfield Park District if it would be interested in renaming the sensory playground on the east side of Van Horn Woods in remembrance of Wadee.
'It was unanimous,' Faheem said.
Wadee's death brought the community together, he said. Organizers anticipated about 300 people to attend a vigil shortly after Wadee died, but had 3,000 people show, Faheem said. The Plainfield Community Alliance formed and initiated kindness contests and workshops to prevent bullying.
Wadee became known as the 'international face for peace,' his teacher Trisha Mathias said.
'Hanan always referred to him as her 'sweet, sweet boy' whenever we talked,' said Mathias, who teaches early childhood at Bonnie McBeth Learning Center. 'That sums up Wadee. … My student made a difference in my life, and I know he has made a difference in the lives of others as well.'
Mathias, who taught Wadee for two years, recalled Saturday the boy's carefree attitude and his love of planets, bubbles, goldfish crackers and a red basketball. He wore blue snow boots to school no matter the weather and smiled at people because he loved to make others happy.
'There was something about the twinkle in his eye and perch in his lips … that melted your heart,' Mathias said.
Still, much more needs to be done to combat growing Islamaphobia against Palestinians and Muslims, some speakers noted.
Soha Khatib, an activist with the Palestinian Youth Movement, who grew up in Bolingbrook, said 50,000 Palestinian children have died since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023. These are children who, like Wadee, enjoyed basketball and soccer and were simply trying to find food to eat and shelter in schools, tents and hospitals, Khatib said.
Too often, Palestinians are dehumanized, she said, criticizing government leaders and media outlets that allow the hate to fester.
'Wadee's murder reminded me that Palestinian people are denied innocence in this world,' Khatib said. 'We are denied adolescence. We are adultified in a world that calls us terrorists and reduces our deaths to numbers before we can understand why.
'Whether in America or in Palestine, all children have a right to live,' she said.
Fran Leeman, pastor of LifeSpring Church, and Jane Ramsey, the former executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, condemned hatred and those who demonize others based on their race, religion, ethnicity and national origin.
'In this time of so much division in America and the world, I can tell you the people of my faith community … have hearts that are wide open to your community,' Leeman said. 'We long to walk with you in friendship and peace and joy and mutual understanding.'
Leeman said as Wadee's memory was honored, it was a wake-up call that hatred and violence are not the way.
'Maybe moments like this are a time … for all of us to consider that if we will walk in goodness, in friendship and love, we just might make the world a more joyful place for each other, and we might make the world a better place for all our children,' he said.
