Chicago Muslim community gathers for Eid al-Adha, calls for end to war in Gaza

Chicago-area Muslims celebrated Eid al-Adha with a prayer service Sunday and renewed attention to the war in Gaza.

The event, held at The Dome at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Des Plaines and organized by the Islamic Community Center of Illinois, drew a crowd of thousands.

The holiday marks the end of the yearly Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, and is celebrated worldwide. For the Muslim community, Eid al-Adha is a major religious holiday, and it honors Abraham’s test to sacrifice his son.

“It’s a testament to sacrifice and to the love that people have for Islam as they practice it,” said Buthaina Hattab, a member of the community center.

The service began with the call to prayer and opening remarks. Guest speakers included Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Rep. Delia Ramirez of Chicago, who were both presented awards by the community center for their support of the Muslim community in Chicago. Their speeches were followed by a prayer service and sermon.

Children and adults held small Palestinian flags, and the conversation soon shifted to discussing the ongoing war.

“We still do not have lasting peace in Gaza,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez, one of the original supporters of a ceasefire resolution in Congress presented to the Biden Administration in October 2023, expressed continued support for a permanent ceasefire resolution. As a child of immigrants, she said, she extends her support to the Chicago Muslim community.

“A lot of the congregants here today are of Palestinian descent and understand the struggle of dispossession and state violence,” Hattab said. “So, we of course hold the people in Gaza near and dear to our hearts, and we keep them in our prayers. And we hope that our raised awareness about our community can also bring justice for the people in Palestine, and also to end the discrimination that Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims face in the United States.”

This year’s Eid al-Adha celebration comes eight months after a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy was stabbed to death and his mother was left severely injured by their landlord in their home in Plainfield. Law enforcement determined it was a hate crime related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The war began when Hamas and other militants stormed across the border into Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 36,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Most of Gaza’s population have fled their homes, often multiple times, and the offensive has caused widespread destruction.

Speakers at the Eid al-Adha service also encouraged worshippers to vote in this fall’s presidential election.

“We have hope that Gaza has changed the world,” said Oussama Jammal, secretary general of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations. “Our Muslim community is going to change the election in America in 2024 in November.”

The Associated Press contributed.