Chicago area Palestinian American boy laid to rest after fatal stabbing, residents fear for their safety
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (CBS) – There was an outpouring of grief on Monday as a 6-year-old child was laid to rest after a Plainfield Township landlord was accused of killing the Palestinian American boy because he was Muslim.
CBS 2's Shardaa Gray was at the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview, where thousands came to mourn Wadee Alfayoumi.
The atmosphere outside and inside the mosque was somber as many made their way in to pay their respects to the family of the boy.
Hundreds attended the funeral for the boy at the Mosque Foundation. Earlier, the boy's father Odai Alfayoumi, speaking in Arabic, said his son is a martyr whose death symbolizes the killings of Palestinians in Gaza.
He also said that while Muslims and Palestinians are often portrayed as terrorists or violent, his son was a victim of hatred.
The Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, and the Mosque Foundation said the hatred toward Muslim Americans led to the 6-year-old's murder.
Wadee and his mother Hannan Shahin moved into the Plainfield Township home two years ago. The family said Shahin, who was still in the hospital in critical condition, shared her last words with her son before he died.
"When he was stabbed, his last words to his mom, 'Mom, I'm fine,'" said Yousef Hannon, the boy's uncle. "You know what? He is fine. He's in a better place."
The killing of the child left so many questioning if they're safe.
"It is a hate crime," said Hatem Salloum, who attended the wake for Wadee. "They were targeted solely for two reasons. They're Palestinians, and they're Muslim."
Salloum said he fears so much that he's told his mother to stay indoors.
"[I told her] if you're going to go out shopping, if you're going to go out for any reason, do not go by yourself. I'm going to go with you and make sure you're safe. It's not just my mother, it's my whole family too."
U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Illinois) also came to the boy's services for support.
"This was an act of terror on our own shores, the mutilation, the killing of a child," Jackson said.
He encouraged everyone to know the difference between the terrorist group Hamas and those simply practicing the Muslim religion.
"Hamas is not the Palestinian people and the two have to be separated," he said.
CBS 2 also learned Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker met with the victims' family in private to give their condolences. Other political leaders also came out to the service to pay their respects.
Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis said the village plans to hold a vigil Tuesday at 8 p.m. in a Plainfield Park District gymnasium in honor of Wadee.
