Thanks for Attending Our 20th Annual Banquet!
Chicago Muslim Unity Sends a Message to Bullies
The voices of dehumanization and censorship tried to shut us down. But 1,000 of our community members showed up from every neighborhood, organization, and mosque to heed the call for fearlessness in faith, and discipline in work. United in our diversity and resolute in purpose, our message is crystal clear: we will always stand up for our rights and our humanity; we will always speak up for the most vulnerable and forgotten.
On behalf of the CAIR-Chicago chairman, board, and staff, we extend our deep gratitude and appreciation to all of our guests, sponsors, volunteers, speakers, community members, family, friends, and allies for making our 20th Annual Banquet a sold-out event, and for stepping up to help us meet and exceed our goal.
Below is a more detailed report.
Thank you!
Speakers and Highlights
The speakers at CAIR-Chicago's 2023 Annual Banquet truly delivered an unforgettable evening filled with inspiration and profound insights.
Iman Suhaib Webb, our keynote speaker, captivated the audience with his eloquence and wisdom. His words resonated deeply, highlighting the importance of unity and understanding in these challenging times.
Illinois State Representatives Abdelnasser Rashid and Nabeela Syed showcased their commitment to advocacy, shedding light on the critical issues facing our community. Their dedication to promoting change and justice was truly remarkable.
CAIR-Chicago's Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab, shared the organization's ongoing dedication to protecting civil rights, combating bigotry, and promoting tolerance. His vision for the future of CAIR-Chicago was both enlightening and inspiring.
Dr. Mazen Kudaimi, CAIR-Chicago's Chairman, provided valuable insights into the organization's mission and challenges ahead. His leadership and commitment were evident throughout the evening.
Together, these speakers created a memorable and impactful event, emphasizing the importance of coming together to address the issues of inclusivity, empowerment, and justice within our community. CAIR-Chicago's 2023 Annual Banquet left a lasting impression, reminding us all of the importance of unity and the pursuit of a more equitable society.
You can learn more about our speakers here!
Attendance
A full house of 1,000 attendees and representing the diversity in Chicagoland and the tri-state area, in terms of ethnicity, age, gender, religion, and profession, as well as allies and partners from other communities!
Security
A special thanks to the incredible security team- A-Alert Security & Investigations (AASI) for donating their expertise. (Photo from 2019 - five years of partnership)
Fundraising
Thank you to all of our generous donors who made our fundraising a success. You helped us meet and exceed our evening's goal, we raised $600,840 which is 50% of our projected budget.
Sheikh Hassan Aly put it this way: “There is only one organization that provides pro-bono professional legal and media representation to our Muslim community at large, we support them so they can support us.”
CAIR-Chicago is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are 100% tax-deductible & Zakat eligible
Film
CAIR-Chicago's short film - our 19th in as many years - highlighted the commitment of CAIR-Chicago’s staff, interns, and volunteers to provide critical legal help, media representation, and advocacy services to communities that lack them but need them most. The film was directed by Guclu Koseli from Chicago Visual,
View our 2023 Film
Please be sure to credit photographers when sharing their photos!
Volunteers
This year's banquet was presided over by 50+ staff and volunteers who were hard to miss all decked out in their blue scarves and black uniforms! Between registration, photography, and ushering, our program could not have been as successful without their hard work. We wish to thank the amazing volunteers who worked incredibly hard to present the community with an evening befitting of its stature!
Sponsors
We are also thankful for the tremendous support of our key partners from the Chicagoland mosques, coalitions, interfaith groups, companies, law firms, and official sponsors.
Recognition
We wish to thank the 50+ public officials from various levels of government for their letters of support of CAIR-Chicago's mission and work, and call on them to raise their voices against hate at home, and genocide abroad.
Watch the Banquet Speeches
If you missed our annual banquet, you can watch the speeches here. We hope to see you next year!
Annual Report
CAIR-Chicago has been at the forefront of positive representation and principled advocacy. In our twenty years of service, CAIR-Chicago has handled 6,840 civil rights cases of anti-Muslim discrimination, negotiated $1.84 million directly to clients in discrimination cases, conducted 2,927 mainstream media interviews receiving over 23,750 mentions, & graduated over 1,015 interns. Take a look at our work throughout the years in our annual reports.
You can view our 2023 annual report here.