"Best of the Best" Awards were held in the Orland Park Civic Center by the American Arab Chamber of Commerce

On December 9, 2025, the Orland Civic Center, located at 14750 S. Ravinia Avenue in Orland Park, hosted the annual "Best of the Best" Awards night for the American Arab Chamber of Commerce of Illinois.

Jim Dodge, the mayor of Orland Park, gave the keynote address. In April 2025, Dodge became victorious over former Mayor Keith Pekau, who had come under fire for his animosity toward Arab Americans.

American Arab community leaders and political officials who have gone above and above to serve the Arab American community, as well as community activists who have worked independently to promote community issues, received awards from the Chamber.
The American Arab Chamber of Commerce held an amazing event. Eighty political lawmakers, activists, and community leaders were honored by the American Arab Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, in the Orland Park Civic Center. Over 250 people attended the dinner served by the Al Bahar and Al Bawadi restaurants. Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge, Linda Dodge, and city trustees gave a keynote address titled "A salute to the community and all the good people who fight for our rights." Dodge delivered a motivational speech that was full of respect and hope for everyone.

Syed Khalil Ullah, a Pakistani American journalist, was also honored Best in the Best Award for his contributions to journalism.

Ray Hanania, a well-known senior journalist from Chicago, moderated the program.

"We take great pride in the work we have completed over the years. Chamber Chairman Hassan Najem stated, "We don't make headlines, but we assist those in our community who are targeted by racism or other issues to help them address those issues."

"People in elected office, community leaders, and Arab and non-Arab activists who have stood up to defend our community's rights are our award recipients."

The chamber offers its assistance to Muslim and Arab American firms facing difficulties. The Chamber recently played a key role in assisting Arab and Muslim cab and taxi drivers in maintaining a prayer and driver tent on a corner of the staging parking lot that they funded.

Officials from the Chicago Aviation Department, who had initially authorized the construction of the tent for relaxation and prayer, were threatening to remove it.

The Chicago Aviation Department agreed to let the tent stay when the American Arab Chamber of Commerce intervened, promising to replace it with a more permanent building as soon as possible.

Additionally, the Chamber has collaborated closely with a number of elected leaders, such as Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, who spearheaded a scheme to reimburse millions of dollars to property owners who overpaid their property taxes. In order to guarantee that the Arab and Muslim communities received their reimbursements, Treasurer Pappas collaborated with numerous ethnic community groups.

Treasurer Cook County has prevented and reimbursed almost $544 million in overpayments of property taxes since 2009. includes overpayments to Arab and Muslim property owners totaling several million dollars. Additionally, Pappas has translated her website into other languages, including Arabic, to make information easier for all Cook County residents to access