Like so many of our precious mothers and grandmothers who are leaders in our homes, our communities, our villages and towns, and our movement for national liberation, Um Omar (wearing a pink coat in the center of the picture above ) was so very "caring, nurturing, and kind," according to a grandchild's post on social media. "She had such a subtle sense of humor. I felt loved by her every second I was with her. But most of all, when I’d take my boys to visit her…she absolutely adored them. [And] she was such a good mother to my mother." 

Um Omar was a Palestinian patriot survived by nine children: Omar, Widad, Fatima, Hamdallah, Julia, Najah, Dina, Alya, and Faris, many of whom were Markaz activists as well. She also left behind over 60 grandchildren and great grandchildren combined, a true Palestinian matriarch!

The AAAN offers its most sincere condolences to Julia, the entire Abusharif clan and extended family, the neighborhood of Kafr 'Aqab in Al Quds, Palestine, and the broader Palestinian and Arab communities of Chicagoland, where Um Omar touched so many lives.

عظم الله أجركم و الله يرحمها

Funeral arrangements announced by the family, all TOMORROW, Saturday, August 1st, 2026:

• Salat Al-Janaza (Funeral Prayer) at 1:20 PM, at the Mosque Foundation, 7360 W. 93rd Street, Bridgeview, Illinois 

• Funeral procession immediately after Salat Al-Janaza for burial at Chapel Hill Gardens South Cemetery, 11333 Central Avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois

• Beit Al-Azza (House of Condolences) from 6 to 10 PM, at Aqsa School, 7361 W. 92nd Street, Bridgeview, Illinois

Sincerely, and with deep sympathy,

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