MEDIA ADVISORY: CAIR-Chicago & Community Leaders to Host Press Conference Outside Will County Courthouse Following Verdict in Joseph Czuba Trial; Jummah (Friday) Prayer to Honor Wadee Al Fayoumi
- For Immediate Release and Distribution -
(CHICAGO, IL, February 27, 2025) – The Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will hold a press conference outside the Will County Courthouse following the verdict in the trial of Joseph Czuba—the Plainfield landlord charged with murder, attempted murder, and hate crimes in the brutal stabbing of 6-year-old Wadee Al Fayoumi on October 14, 2023.
Per Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak, court proceedings are expected to conclude on Friday, February 28, 2025. Court is in session at 10:00am. CAIR-Chicago and leaders will host a press conference at approximately 4:30 p.m. or immediately following the verdict outside the courthouse.
Czuba’s attack on Wadee and his mother, Hanan Shaheen, was fueled by radicalized conservative rhetoric surrounding the genocide in Gaza, marking one of the most heinous hate crimes to impact Chicago’s Muslim community in recent history.
WHAT: Press Conference Following Verdict in the Hate Crime Trial of Joseph Czuba
WHEN: Friday, February 28, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. (CST) OR immediately following the verdict
WHERE: Will County Courthouse, 100 W. Jefferson, Joliet, IL 60432
LOCATION: Lincoln Conference Room, 2nd Floor (Turn right after the escalators)
Livestream via CAIR-Chicago’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/cairchicago
WHO:
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago
Amina Barhumi, Advocacy and Policy Lead, Muslim Civic Coalition
Heena Musabji, Legal Director, CAIR-Chicago
Family representatives
Prior to the press conference, Salaat-ul-Jummah, the Islamic Friday prayer, will be held at 1:00 p.m. INDOORS, in the 1st floor atrium area before security.
MEDIA GUIDELINES:
Attendees are kindly requested to gather in the outdoor plaza area.
Signs and protest materials are discouraged to maintain the solemnity of the event.
Supporters are encouraged to express solidarity by using #RememberingWadee on social media.
CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote understanding.
CONTACT:
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago | 202-870-0166 | arehab@cair.com; Monia Alhelou, Operations Coordinator of CAIR-Chicago | 312-212-1520 | malhelou@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, Communications Coordinator of CAIR-Chicago | 561-317-7509 | hhaider@cair.com
TRIAL UPDATES:
Throughout the week, the jury has reviewed critical evidence, including police body camera footage, 911 call recordings, forensic evidence, heard from law enforcement who witnessed the scene of the crime, CSI, forensic scientists, and testimony from Hanan Shaheen, who survived Czuba’s attack. Prosecutors have argued that Czuba’s radicalized beliefs and deep-seated Islamophobia directly motivated the crime. The trial has underscored the urgent need to address rising anti-Muslim violence and hold perpetrators accountable under hate crime laws.
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