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In Southwest Suburban Orland Park, Village Board Members voted 7-0 to allow construction of a new mosque that will accomodate up to 500 worshipers, "because it is the right thing to do." The mosque is the first non-Christian house of worship to be built in the suburb, and it wasn't without strong protest.
Before conducting the vote, Board members heard statements of support and protest from the over 400 people gathered in the Village Hall. One protester, Vernon Lyons, pastor of Ashburn Baptist Church, led the opposition, reading from various treatises about terrorism and warning the Orland Park mosque would breed similar acts. From the Chicago Tribune:
"As a Christian, a Baptist and an American, I am a firm believer in religious freedom, but when any group jeopardizes our national security and liberty, they are not deserving of our tolerance," Lyons said.
Chicagoist finds it hard to believe this kind of thinking still exists in our country, but isn't it nice that we're a tolerant enough nation to allow such close-mindedness to exist? Carrying the banner of The American Dream, was one of the mosque's supporters, Huda Krad who said to the Board, "Please, America, after all you have given me, please do not deny me a place to worship."
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I was amazed and appalled at the bigoted comments that came out of people's mouths at the public forum about the mosque.
One stated something close to, "The extremists of those people kill, the moderates simply fund the terrorism."
Such behavior was one of the reasons I moved back to Chicago and away from the South. Sad to see it so prevalent here, too.
I was reminded of the 19th and eary 20th century prejudice ethnic Catholics faced, and wondered whether they had the same problems putting up churches.
I imagine that to the Protestants of the time, the Italians and the Irish and the Central European Catholics were the bomb throwers, Communists, and Unionists, ready to destroy the "American" way of life, right?
It's not shocking, really, that there would be so many people who would be so open about their prejudices against the mosque. When it comes to racial and ethnic hate in Chicago, Arabs are the new blacks.
no relation to vernon, btw
hah. that's the first thing I thought of..
I grew up down there - as Homewood became more diverse, our favorite bigots moved south and west (hello Mokena, Tinley & Orland). Surprised? No. Though I am very proud of the Orland government.
It's amazing to consider (as some above have) that the KKK, as a domestic terrorist group, originally went after Roman Catholics, and burnt irish/polish churches before they attached themselves to the segregation movement (and later, Nazism). Considering how many 3rd generation polish/irish people live in Orland (I used to be one of them in high school)...Nothing like history repeating itself.
Near Niles (maybe Morton Grove?) they had the same problem. Residents flew american flags upside-down to protest it. It was bizarre - like isn't religious tolerance something that seperates us from them?
You all dont see the seriousness in allowing this to occur in our beloved country. I am a member of Ashburn Baptist Church and in no way are we racist, we are concerned with what may happen to our country if this kind of foolishness is allowed. When more attacks occur all we will do is say we told you so.