In Chicago’s Little Palestine, locals protest and mourn amid Gaza war
Al Jazeera
The Palestinian community where US Democrats held their convention last week takes pride in its identity and rallies for Gaza.
Bridgeview, Illinois – Standing outside his local mosque in suburban Chicago, Robhi Gharallah observed that Israel’s war in Gaza is on everyone’s mind in his neighbourhood.
“We’re praying. We’re protesting. We’re raising funds. We’re doing all we can for Gaza,” Gharallah said after Friday prayer.
But Gharallah said there is one action he and his neighbours are uncertain about — and that is how to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Gharallah lives in Bridgeview, Illinois, an area informally known as Chicago’s Little Palestine. It sits in Cook County, home to an estimated 22,518 Palestinian Americans — one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States.
Sporting a cap with the colours of the Palestinian flag — red, white, green and black — Gharallah underscored that the Palestinian diaspora is a prominent presence in Chicago’s cultural and business sectors.
