The distinctive minaret and golden dome will be absent, but MECCA — after months of controversy — won approval Tuesday to build a mosque near Willowbrook. After rejecting a call to send the matter back to the county's Zoning Board of Appeals for further study, the board signed off on the revised plan by approving a conditional-use permit 13-5.
Read MoreThe DuPage County Development Committee (CDC) voted yesterday to recommend granting a permit to the MECCA Mosque, but the issue is not over yet. The County Board will vote on the matter next week. Call the County Board and show your support for MECCA as well as the other mosques seeking permits.
Read More"How many mosques constitute an oversaturation in unincorporated DuPage County, according to the Zoning Board of Appeals?" asked Ahmed Rehab, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, at a news conference. "The answer would be one. One would be one too many apparently, and that's very disconcerting to us."
Read MoreIn tough economic times most neighborhoods would welcome development. But in suburban Willowbrook, they’re waving it off for an unusual reason: religious oversaturation.
Read MoreChristian, Muslim, Jewish and civic leaders affirm religious freedom and call on the DuPage County Development Board to reconsider the Zoning Board's decision to deny a permit for MECCA, a mosque in Willowbrook.
Read MoreThe zoning panel voted 6-1 last month to recommend denial of the conditional use permit needed for a worship center.All seven members of the ZBA, along with 10 County Board members and former chairman Bob Schillerstrom, are named in a pending federal complaint [made by CAIR-Chicago] alleging they erred a year ago when they turned down an Islamic school and worship center.
Read MoreAmina Sharif, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said she is concerned that officials are trying to limit religious institutions. In April, the group filed a lawsuit against the county alleging discrimination in rejecting a zoning proposal for an Islamic education center and place of worship near Naperville.
Read MoreCall the DuPage Country Board and show your support for: the Islamic Center of the Western Suburbs (ICSW), the Muslim Education and Cultural Center of America (MECCA), and the Irshad Learning Center (ILC). Make your voice heard and make a difference!
Read More"There is a large and growing number of Muslim families who live, work, and pay taxes in DuPage County yet are being denied the same right as their neighbors to establish institutions to accommodate their religious and community needs," said Ahmed Rehab.
Read MoreThe DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-2 to reject the petition by the Muslim Educational Cultural Center of America (MECCA). Last year, CAIR-Chicago filed a federal lawsuit against the county, alleging discrimination in the rejection of a zoning proposal for an Islamic educational center and place of worship near Naperville.
Read MoreJoin CAIR-Chicago at the Muslim Educational Cultural Center of America (MECCA) for a brief informational session on the services CAIR-Chicago provides to the Muslim community.
Read MoreWHAT: Friday Sermon (Khuthbah)SPEAKER: Safaa Zarzour, Chairman, CAIR-Chicago
Read MoreJoin CAIR-Chicago at the Muslim Educational Cultural Center of America (MECCA) for a brief informational session on the services CAIR-Chicago provides to the Muslim community.
Read MoreJoin CAIR-Chicago at the Muslim Educational Cultural Center of America (MECCA) for a brief informational session on the services CAIR-Chicago provides to the Muslim community.
Read MoreJoin CAIR-Chicago at the Muslim Educational Cultural Center of America (MECCA) for a brief informational session on the services CAIR-Chicago provides to the Muslim community.
Read MoreWhat: Ramadan OutreachWhere: Muslim Educational Cultural Center of America
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