CHICAGO, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A Muslim congregation has filed a lawsuit against a Chicago suburb, saying the rejection of permission for a mosque is religious discrimination.
Officials in Des Plaines, Ill., say the American Islamic Center's request to convert a former insurance company office to a mosque was turned down for practical reasons, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The lawsuit, naming the town and several local officials, was filed Monday in federal court in Chicago.
The mosque would have served Bosnian-American Muslims now worshipping in rented space in a mosque in Rolling Meadows, a few miles away.
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"We are not happy that we have to file this lawsuit," said Senad Agic, the group's imam. "We are hoping the City Council of Des Plaines would understand our religious needs."
Local officials say an industrial park is not the right place for a religious facility.
"I don't care if they're Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, whatever. It's not zoned for that particular area," said Alderman Mark Walsten, named as a defendant in the lawsuit. "Whenever there are children involved in an industrial area, I will not have that on my conscience."
One complication is that Muslims' holy day is Friday, a normal day of work for most in the United States.
Scott Luedke, plant manager for Pexco, which has a facility across the street, said the mosque would bring heavy traffic to the area on Fridays when trucks, operating on deadlines, are entering and leaving the plant.
The Des Plaines Planning Commission recommended allowing the mosque but the city council rejected the proposal. The lawsuit was filed under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
