Plainfield community gathers for Illinois' 'Wadee Day' to honor Wadee Alfayoumi, Muslim boy killed in hate crime stabbing
Sunday marks the first official "Wadee Day" in Illinois.
It honors Wadee Alfayoumi, the 6-year-old boy stabbed to death in a hate crime attack by his family's landlord nearly two years ago in 2023.
It's meant to inspire people to work together to make the world a more peaceful place.
Kids now enjoy a playground in Plainfield dedicated to honor Alfayoumi.
"Wadee will never die," community member Yousif Marei said. "Wadee stays alive forever, whether he's in heaven or over the ground."
With the help of the local park district, Sunday's gesture of love followed the creation of a monument for the grade schooler by a local scout troop.
"This morning, join together, coming from our different families and communities to say no, we will not let... destroy us," said Marty Levine with Jewish Voice for Peace.
"We will never forget Wadee," said Dr. Saima Azfar with ICNA Relief Chicago. "We will honor him by standing up, speaking out and showing up."
The event coincides with the passing of a state resolution observing September 21 not only as International Day of Peace for Children Day, but also Wadee Day.
"We need to use this as a moment so that we ensure no child faces violence faces discrimination, faces hate," said Illinois Senator Ram Villivalam, who sponsored the resolution.
A jury found the family's landlord, Joseph Czuba, guilty of murdering Alfayoumi while he and his mother were renting a room from him. Prosecutors say Czuba called the boy's mother a "devil Muslim" as he stabbed the child more than two dozen times. He had been sentenced to 53 years in prison, but the convicted murder died in June while serving his sentence.
"Let us not wait for another tragedy to stir our conscience," said Michael L. Childress, DuPage County NAACP Branch 3012 president.
A coalition of community groups, concerned neighbors and others gathered at Van Horn Woods East Sunday morning.
Alfayoumi's father attended but was too emotional to speak. His mother, although physically healed from the attack Oct. 14, 2023, is still suffering from the trauma of losing her son.
"They're grieving parents, and so it's our responsibility as citizens is organizers continue to speak up on their behalf," said Amina Barhumi with the Muslim Civic Coalition.
While the well-wishers feel the pain of the child's loss, they say their thoughts are not far from their Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza.
People in attendance want lawmakers both in Illinois and in Washington, D.C., to act against the genocide they say continues.
"When our tax dollars pay for the genocide of their people overseas, it find its way back here and at least to the murder of children in our community," Palestinian activist Soha Khatib said.
As the still grief-stricken struggle to heal, the community says they will continue to revel in the light of Alfayoumi's memorial as they add that his legacy is the pursuit of justice.
