Controversy over Church to Mosque Plan in Chicago
Officials from the Muslim
American Society (MAS), which has chapters across the United States, bought the
vacant First Church of Christ, Scientists, on 12300 S 80th Avenue in Palos
Park, Illinois, and said they hope to open in the summer.
Although Muslims in the
southwest suburbs of Chicago have several mosques to choose from, MAS officials
say that the community is expanding rapidly and another mosque is needed to
serve it.
But it seems that not
everyone agrees.
Anonymous flyers
distributed to homes near the proposed Palos Park site warned that an Islamic center
in the area would undermine home values and create traffic congestion.
The flyers, left in mail
boxes and in some cases on doorsteps, perplexed MAS officials, who said that
their goal was merely to utilize a building that already has government
approval to be used as a religious center.
"We are surprised
because we are so involved and engaged in the local community," Oussama
Jammal, a spokesman for MAS and a vice president of the Bridgeview Mosque
Foundation, told Al Jazeera.
"I think it is just
one or two people who are distributing these flyers, trying to stir things up.
We have no problem with people expressing their opinions and welcome the
opinions. We want to meet with our neighbors, though, and explain who we are
and what we want to do. We're American, just like them."
Jammal explained that MAS
chose the building not only because it was vacant and for sale, but also
because it was already "zoned" - government approved - to be used for
religious purposes.
"We have been
working together for years to fight for the rights of American people. We
supported the healthcare. We worked with Kid Care, which helped children get
insurance in the state," added Jammal, who explained that he works with
United Power for Action and Justice, a non-partisan community organisation.
"The group includes
Christians, Muslims, Jews ... and many other groups who live in this region and
we have been involved in many social issues to make our communities safer in
fighting street gangs, to fight for better education, to obtain healthcare, and
support legislation to help the disabled. This isn't about a religion. It's
about being a part of this country."
At a public meeting on
February 8, local government officials denounced the flyer and described
Muslims as "neighbors". But some of the local residents in attendance
seemed to share the concerns expressed on it. Despite these complaints, Village
of Palos Park officials have said that the municipality will not block the
opening of the mosque.
Jammal said he does not
believe this is an issue the local government should interfere with.
"We are part of the
larger community to protect our streets, protect our youth. This is what the
Muslim community is about. Unfortunately, the people don't know what we
do."
Source: Al Jazeera
