A significant gathering took place recently at the Van Horn Woods East Playground in Plainfield, IL, to unveil a memorial for Wadea al-Fayoume, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy tragically murdered in 2023.
The event was attended by a large crowd that included local leaders from the Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim-American communities.
Wadea was stabbed 26 times while protecting his mother, Hanan Shaneen, during a violent attack by their landlord, Joseph Czuba, who has since been convicted of First-Degree Murder, Aggravated Battery, and Hate Crime.
Wadea’s father, Odai al-Fayoume, made an unexpected appearance at the ceremony, where a silhouette monument of Wadea holding a bright red heart was unveiled.
Expressing his emotions through an interpreter, Odai shared with the crowd, including Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis, that before he came to the United States, he was alone.
The birth of Wadea gave him purpose and companionship, but the loss of his young son brought him back to loneliness.
“I had a young beautiful son who was everything to me and then he was taken from me, and I was one again,” he stated.
However, he found a sense of community in the crowd that day, saying, “but now I feel like we’re so many. You’re all my family. You’re all my extended family now.”
Syed “Saif” Rahman, one of the artists behind the monument, explained that although Wadea’s life was short, it left a profound impact on many and highlighted the community’s urgent need for compassion, unity, and justice.
“This art was created to preserve [Wadea’s] spirit. A silhouette of a young boy holding a heart. It’s simple, yet powerful. The heart symbolizes the love that he gave, that love that he deserved, and the love that we must carry forward in his name,” Rahman said.
Trisha Mathias, a teacher who had Wadea as a student, reflected on her relationship with him.
She described Wadea fondly as her ‘sweet sweet boy,’ a phrase often used by his mother when speaking about him.
The poignant moment served as a reminder of the love and joy Wadea brought to those around him, as images of him smiling widely have circulated globally.
The heartbreaking incident involving Wadea has resonated well beyond the local community, making him a symbol for the fight against hatred and leading to bipartisan actions at the federal level to broaden the definition of hate crimes.
In Illinois, September 21st is now officially recognized as Wadea al-Fayoume Day, coinciding with the International Day of Peace.
Soha Khatib from the Palestinian Youth Movement also spoke at the unveiling, reflecting on her own childhood memories in the area.
However, she contrasted these cherished memories with the loss of innocence that Wadea epitomized, lamenting that Palestinian people are often denied such innocence.
“Plainfield used to be a place that I associated with memories of childhood and innocence,” she shared.
“Wadea’s murder reminded me that Palestinian people are denied innocence in this world. We are denied adolescence, we are adultified in a world that calls us terrorists and reduces our deaths to numbers before we can even ask why.”
Khatib placed blame for Wadea’s murder not only on Czuba, but also on media narratives that perpetuate anti-Palestinian sentiment.
“Every single media outlet that has perpetuated Israeli lies,” she stated, “this was the doing of a propaganda machine that has worked tirelessly to dehumanize Palestinian men, women, and children as a means to justifying their murders.”
The dedication ceremony served as a stark reminder of the community’s commitment to peace, remembrance, and justice against bigotry and hate.
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago, emphasized the importance of the monument, saying, “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.”
The solemn occasion marked a collective moment of reflection on the values of love, unity, and the ongoing fight against hatred.
image source from：audacy
