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O’Hare Airport inspector threatens to dismantle Muslim prayer tent authorized in 2022
A Prayer tent authorized in 2022 to accommodate prayers for Muslim Uber/Lyft drivers at O’Hare Airport is being threatened with removal. The tent is located at 10400 W. Johnson Road in Des Plaines in a side area of the vehicle staging lot that does not block parking or driving into the lot. About 200 drivers park there waiting for Uber/Lyft assignments at the Airport, including about 75 Muslim drivers. Video attached below
UPDATED: Tuesday, Aug., 26, 2025 with statement from Chicago
By Ray Hanania
Officials at O’Hare Airport are threatening to remove a prayer tent from an Uber/Lyft staging lot that was authorized for prayer three years ago to accommodate Muslim and non-Muslim drivers.
This week, however, several drivers said Airport officials are threatening to take the tent down citing anonymous complaints and alleging that some Muslims are smoking marijuana in the tented prayer area, and the drivers have appealed in a letter to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for help.
Whid Tutanji, an Uber/Lyft driver, denied that the Muslims use drugs in the tent and said that even smoking is prohibited. Drivers can smoke outside the tent in a row of about 6 chairs lined up along the fence, again away from vehicle parking spaces.
“The tent was approved by the Airport three years ago so that Muslims and other drivers could take time to pray. We paid for it and erected with donations and without using any taxpayer dollars,” Tutanji said.
“The Muslim community paid for it, erected it and maintain it. All of a sudden, airport officials started telling us they were receiving complaints and wanted the tent removed without giving us specific reasons or identifying who is complaining.”
Tutanji said the tent has electricity for an air conditioner, lights, a bulletin board and serves as “the only shelter in the Uber/Lyft staging area not just for Muslims but for all the drivers there” who often wait as long as 10 hours each day before being assigned passengers.
The tent also includes several fire extinguishers hanging on tent poles, a floor of wood pallets and wood covering, covered by prayer rugs and Islamic decorations along the tent sides. It is used frequently for daily prayers and also for Friday Jum’ah prayers, Tutanji said.
The Uber/Lyft staging area is outdoors located at 10400 W. Johnson Road, Des Plaines, Illinois (O’Hare Airport). Drivers sit in their cars all day waiting for pickup assignments from the airport. The lot only has seven outdoor Porta Potties (individual toilets) that the city empties every few days.
Tutanji said about a third of the 200 drivers who use the staging lot are Muslim, but that many of the non-Muslim drivers use the tent “to pray, to rest or to just relax and talk with others.”
“We keep the tent clean. People bring Arabian food and there is a Halal food truck that is parked on the west side of the staging lot where you can buy food. But my wife and other wives often cook Arabian food, and we bring it there and we share it with the other drivers,” Tutanji said.
“The tent does not block anything. It doesn’t block the cars. It doesn’t take up parking spaces. It doesn’t block the parking roads. It’s in a corner that is not used for anything and was selected by the airport for its placement.”
The tent is located on the Northeast corner of the large lot in an open area that does not take up vehicle parking spaces or blocks the parking area roads. About 200 Lyft and Uber drivers, including about 75 Muslim drivers, park in the staging area waiting as much as 10 hours before they receive assignments to pick up travelers at the airport’s four terminals.
Hassan Nijem, the president of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, said that he is concerned by why the drivers are now being targeted.
“They need someone to look at what is happening. If something needs to be changed, they can change it. But the drivers are saying that the inspections have increased and one of the inspectors has been harassing them,” Nijem said.
“The tent is open to everyone to pray or for self-contemplation. It’s also a place to help the drivers make it through what sometimes are very long days, from early in the morning at 5 AM until 10 PM at night.”
Inspectors with the Chicago Fire Department told the drivers that as long as the drivers do not cook or use gas heating in the tent, they have no problem with the tent set-up.
“It’s one airport inspector from the city who has been complaining,” so we sent a letter to the Mayor asking for his help to resolve this,” Tutanji said.
In the letter, signed by dozens of drivers, the group asked, “We are writing to you with a heavy heart to raise a serious concern regarding the exercise of our First Amendment right to freedom of religion at O’Hare International Airport. Our group was granted permission by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) to erect a tent for worship, which has been used primarily, but not exclusively, by Muslim members of our community for religious services and as a shelter. This tent has provided a vital space for worship under challenging conditions, including extreme heat, cold, rain, and snow.”
The letter continues, “However, we have faced persistent harassment and threats from city employees at O’Hare International Airport. These employees have repeatedly threatened to demolish the tent without providing any clear justification for their actions. This ongoing hostility has created an environment of fear and intimidation, undermining our ability to freely practice our religion, a right protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
An employee at the food truck said, “We have no problems with the tent. Even some of my employees go there and pray. It is very beneficial for the drivers, and we have never seen it causing any problems at all.”
Calls and emails to Tom Stastny, General Manager of Airport Operations, on Monday have gone unanswered, but the Chicago Department of Aviation released the following statement late Tuesday afternoon:
“STATEMENT FROM THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION (CDA)
“The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) respects First Amendment expression and is committed to providing rideshare drivers with safe and secure facilities to operate from. The CDA has not issued any formal request to drivers at the Johnson Street staging lot to remove the prayer tent currently located on site. In coordination with the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), the CDA will continue to monitor the area for safety considerations and will engage with the livery community to explore more permanent solutions for prayer facilities.”
Click to view this link to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.
Dear Mayor Johnson,
We are writing to you with a heavy heart to raise a serious concern regarding the exercise of our First Amendment right to freedom of religion at O’Hare International Airport. Our group was granted permission by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) to erect a tent for worship, which has been used primarily, but not exclusively, by Muslim members of our community for religious services and as a shelter. This tent has provided a vital space for worship under challenging conditions, including extreme heat, cold, rain, and snow.
However, we have faced persistent harassment and threats from city employees at O’Hare International Airport. These employees have repeatedly threatened to demolish the tent without providing any clear justification for their actions. This ongoing hostility has created an environment of fear and intimidation, undermining our ability to freely practice our religion, a right protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
We respectfully request your assistance in securing a formal permit to maintain the worship tent at its current location or an alternative suitable site at O’Hare International Airport. Such a permit would ensure that we can continue to exercise our freedom of religion without fear of disruption or harassment. Additionally, we urge the CDA to investigate the reported harassment by city employees and take appropriate measures to ensure that our rights are respected and protected.
We are aware of the CDA’s commitment to non-discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as outlined on the CDA’s official website. We believe the harassment we have experienced may constitute a violation of these principles, as it impedes our access to public services and facilities provided at O’Hare International Airport. If necessary, we are prepared to file a formal complaint through the Title VI Complaint Procedure, as detailed on your website, but we hope this matter can be resolved amicably through dialogue and cooperation.
We kindly request a response within 15 calendar days, as per the CDA’s Title VI Complaint Procedure timeline, to discuss this matter further and explore possible resolutions, including the issuance of a permit for the worship tent. Please contact us at [Your Contact Information] to arrange a meeting or to provide updates on this request.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We seek your empathy and support to ensure that our community can continue to express our faith freely and safely at O’Hare International Airport.
Sincerely,
O’Hare Airport Staging Area Drivers
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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