Muslim Civic Coalition Registers Voters at Chicagoland Halal Fest
August 10, 2026 | St. Charles, IL
The Muslim Civic Coalition brought voter registration to the 4th Annual Chicagoland Halal Fest on August 8 and 9, setting up at the Kane County Fairgrounds with conversations and connections and two questions for every person who stopped by: Are you registered to vote? Do you have a voting plan?
Muslim Civic Coalition organizers, including Lead Organizer Rija Arshad, Fellowship Lead Mohammad Atiya, and organizer Yazan Badwan, worked the festival, registering voters, updating registrations, and helping attendees make a plan to vote.
The Muslim Civic Coalition goes to where the community already gathers: festivals, masjids, campuses, small business corridors, and family programs. Illinois voters can register, check their registration, and make a voting plan at the new Voter Hub: muslimciviccoalition.org/voterhub
A festival built by the Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce
Halal Fest is produced by the Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce and has grown into one of the largest halal festivals in the nation, moving this year to the Kane County Fairgrounds to accommodate more vendors and more families. The Muslim Civic Coalition thanks the Chamber for building a space where business, faith, family, and civic life sit at the same table, and for prioritizing voter registration in the middle of it.
That combination reflects the community it serves. Illinois has the largest per capita Muslim population in the country. Illinois Muslims are nearly twice as likely to be self-employed or own their own business as the general state population — 12% compared to 7% — and 40% hold college degrees, compared to 28% statewide. They are business owners, doctors, engineers, teachers, drivers, contractors, and shopkeepers, and they are opening new storefronts on Chicagoland corridors and downstate main streets alike.
That data comes from the Illinois Muslims Report, the Muslim Civic Coalition's research partnership with ISPU and the University of Illinois Chicago — the first study of its kind in the state.
Halal as a value system
Halal is not only about the food on the plate. It is an ethic of care — for how we treat one another, how we conduct business honestly, how we treat animals, and how we refuse to waste what is a blessing. It is a standard anyone can learn from.
On the main stage
The weekend drew community leaders, elected officials, and diplomatic representatives, including the Consulate General of Pakistan in Chicago, State Senator Ram Villivalam, State Representative Kevin Olickal, and State Senator Laura Ellman amongst a few.
Muslim Civic Coalition co-founder Dr. Dilara Sayeed was honored with a community service award.
From the main stage, Mohammad Atiya, the Muslim Civic Coalition's Fellowship Lead and organizer, gave the crowd a direct ask: be registered, be ready, and have a plan to vote this midterm.
We can't protect our rights if we don't exercise our rights.
Bring the Muslim Civic Coalition to your community
Halal Fest is one weekend. The Muslim Civic Coalition's Statewide Listening Tour brings the same conversation to Champaign-Urbana, Rockford, Springfield, Decatur, and Peoria this fall, and organizers go anywhere the community gathers.
Communities that need nonpartisan voter resources, links, or materials, or that would like Muslim Civic Coalition organizers to come out and meet their community where it is, can reach out at info@muslimciviccoalition.org.
Everything an Illinois voter needs is in one place: muslimciviccoalition.org/voterhub
