Southland Muslims Open Mosque 22 Years in the Making

October 2, 2005

Source: The Star

http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spnews/news/02-sp6.htm

On October 2, 2005 The Star reported, "For 22 years, a group of [Chicago] Southland Muslims have worshipped in a converted airplane hangar [in Frankfort, Illinois] they dubbed 'The Shed.' After years of sacrifice from its roughly 300 members, the Sunni Muslim congregation will open a $2 million white-brick mosque next door. Construction on the mosque took two years to complete. The group now hopes to build a Muslim school on the property within two years... [This evening] children will cut a ribbon to open the mosque... The public is invited to attend... Frankfort trustees approved the mosque — which does not have a name — in 2002, without the opposition that has plagued proposed mosques in Orland Park, Palos Heights, Morton Grove and, currently, Glenview. 'For us, it was a positive,' village administrator Jerry Ducay said, adding that the village board vote was unanimous."