Muslim prayer center, residents collide near West Chicago
By Jake GriffinLeaders of the Islamic Center of Western Suburbs want to convert a house at 28W774 Army Trail Road near West Chicago into the organization’s prayer center and food pantry, but neighbors are fighting the plan.
Kevin Wiley has been waiting for Monday for two years.
That’s the day when DuPage County’s Zoning Board of Appeals opens a hearing into a proposal to convert a house at 28W774 Army Trail Road near West Chicago into the headquarters for the Islamic Center of Western Suburbs.
The leaders of the Muslim group want to turn the house they bought out of foreclosure into a prayer center and food pantry. Neighbors like Wiley want the group to stop using the house for anything other than a residence until the county decides whether to allow a different use.
“First it was the landscaping issues they did without the proper permits that changed the floodplain and caused my basement to flood twice,” Wiley said. “The thing that bothers us the most is the constant rotation of different people coming and going every day.”
This is the third time the issue has been in front of the county’s zoning board. The Islamic Center’s new attorney, Kevin Gallaher, said he is aware of the history surrounding the proposal and is hopeful a resolution satisfactory to all sides can be reached.
“There’s been some miscommunication along the way on the part of all parties,” Gallaher said. “All sides need to come to an understanding as to what the ultimate use of the property will be.”
Islamic Center leaders are seeking a “conditional use” permit that will allow them to operate the property as a religious facility. They also are asking for more parking.
“They’re trying to convert a residential property into something it wasn’t intended to be,” said neighbor Ron Cwik.
Adding to the controversy is a private driveway the Islamic Center shares with Ray and Jackie Sitkiewicz. The couple told the county board last month that many times they’ve found themselves either unable to enter or leave their property because cars of people worshipping at the house five times a day block the drive.
In January, the county cited the Islamic Center’s leaders for zoning violations related to parking and non-permitted uses of the property. The state’s attorney’s office is seeking more than $25,000 in fines it claims the center has racked up since the beginning of the year for failing to comply with the county’s orders. But the case was once again held over for another month last week to see what comes out of Monday’s meeting, Gallaher said.
Compounding the confusion is the state department of revenue’s decision last year to grant a complete property tax exemption for the parcel. That amounts to more than $8,600 off the tax rolls, Wayne Township Assessor Michael Musson said.
Sue Hofer, a spokeswoman for the department, said the decision was based on a recommendation from the county’s board of review.
“We have no way of determining local land use,” she said. “Our job is to determine whether the use of the property is consistent with the law.”
Hofer said the Islamic Center’s paperwork was complete and included federal nonprofit documentation.
DuPage Supervisor of Assessments Craig Dovel said that while his office does make a recommendation in conjunction with the board of review, the state is ultimately responsible for deciding whether to grant an exemption. Dovel and Board of Review Chairman Tony Bonavolonta said the county doesn’t check for zoning violations before making any recommendations.
“We don’t question a religious use,” Bonavolonta said. “We just forward that onto the department of revenue.”
However, Hofer said the state relies on county officials to make sure a property owner seeking a tax exemption is legitimate.
“They are our eyes and ears on the ground,” she said.
Wiley said none of the government agencies are looking out for the residents.
“See? That’s insane with the tax exemption,” he complained. “By them saying they are using the property for religious purposes, they are admitting to the zoning violations.”
The county has been dealing with church-related zoning issues for several years, but the county board rejected a measure that would have imposed significant limitations on locations more than a year ago. The county is being sued by another Muslim organization after a proposal to open a similar prayer center and food pantry near Naperville was rejected recently.
County board member Jim Zay said the issue of zoning for religious facilities in residential areas needs to be addressed.
“It’s not about the church, it’s about property rights,” he said. “People coming into a single-family area have the right to assume it’s going to remain a single-family area.”
No…this is not a repeat post of Muslims trying to do the same exact thing in Brooklyn NY. This time they are showing no respect to their neighbors in Chicago. Muslims are constantly demanding respect, yet they do not care about the wants and beliefs of non-Muslims. Islam is one-way street, and we should return the favor. Say no to Muslim immigration, and Mosque construction.
Hat tip to Dee.
Train for war.
The battle for the heart and soul has now been exposed. Praise Jesus, Deus Vult ✠
You might feel like you’ve reached your limit, but God’s strength begins where yours ends. In Him, you are always strong enough to face the storm and win the battle.
I’m a “Full Metal Patriot Warrior”.
The music is leading the way. This is more than music… this is preparation for battle.
Shame is the enemy’s favorite way to keep you in the dark, but His grace is the key to every lock.
You are not defined by where you’ve been, but by the One who is leading you now. It’s time to break the trap and walk in true freedom.
Handle scorpions all you like; at some point, you risk getting bitten. Women helping Afghan refugees murdered by Afghan refugees
Tears for My Country — A deeply emotional, heavy Patriotic Christian Battle Cry and Faith-Filled Rock Anthem for every conservative believer, patriot, and defender of truth weeping for the state of our nation.
DEUS VULT, greetings from Spain
You were never created…
to live hiding from the darkness.
You were born…
to stand.
To fight.
To believe.
Even when the battle feels impossible.
Every follower of Christ…
will face moments of spiritual warfare.
Days when fear grows louder.
When temptation surrounds you.
When the enemy whispers,
“Give up.”
But Heaven speaks a different word.
“Stand firm.”
Because this battle…
was never yours alone.
The King of Kings goes before you.
Jesus vs Muhammad, I choose Jesus. Deus Vult ✠ ✠ ✠ ✠
Jesus has already won.
Now stand.
Fight.
Believe.
And never forget—
you were born for battle.
The truth has now been exposed. The battle is real. The battle for the heart and soul is now exposed.
The Islamic murdering cult has a phobia about anything not Islamic.
The battle is real; there is no doubt. Prepare for conflict.
Tears for my country… Lord, heal our land
Hold every family within Your hand
Lord, hear our cry… restore our land.
Suicidal sympathy did in Elizabeth Jane Ross, and there are countless others like her. She devoted herself, under a Christian banner no less, to helping unvetted Muslim illegals destroy Europe’s cultural identity, as well as its security and economy. “Afghan, 26, ‘killed Brit woman, 38, and hid her body in suitcase because she kept talking about her Christian beliefs,’”
Still recruiting. I’m finding people who need an update about Islam. They know something is wrong. So, I clue them in on what’s happening.
When I’m not listening to Crusader music. I get into banjo, fiddle, bagpipe techno music.
I’m in more places at once, moving in the fast lane.
I found I like Scottish bagpipe techno music.
I Kneel Only to Christ — a Knights Templar chant compilation, inspired by the unbreakable vow of warriors who bowed to no throne, no crown, and no earthly power — only to Christ alone.
I’m what happens when the lord gives you a second chance in life, you don’t waste it. Praise Jesus, Deus Vult
To have raised any of that with Elisabeth-Jane Ross would have been “Islamophobia.” And she knew very well that “Islamophobia” was to be avoided and rejected in all circumstances.
And now she is dead. Will any of her colleagues in One Heart absorb the lessons of her murder? Not a chance.
I’m old enough to remember, especially since it was just a few weeks ago, when Trump was excoriating the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran as “scum,” and saying that it was useless to try to negotiate with them. What did the Saudis and Qataris and Emiratis tell him to convince him otherwise? Or maybe he needed no convincing, since it wasn’t long before he was dismissing them that Trump himself was praising Iran’s leaders, and suggesting that since they were so calm and reasonable, as opposed to those whom they had replaced, that regime change had been effectively accomplished, even if the regime still bore the same.
This was, of course, complete nonsense, and now that Trump is back to proclaiming that a wonderful peace deal is just around the corner, he should be asked why he has revised yet again his previous highly jaundiced view of Iran’s leadership. Have the leaders changed? Has the Islamic Republic shown a reasonableness and willingness to make concessions that it did not display before? Or is this just another turn of the weathervane, and in a few days, they’ll be scum again, and the bombings will be back on?
The idea is that when the Muslims attack unbelievers, they are acting as the instruments of Allah’s wrath, and so they screamhis name. Their attack itself shows that Allah is greater, greater than the god of the unbelievers for if the infidels’ god were greater than Allah, he would be able to protect his people and prevent the slaves of Allah from attacking them. The fact that the attack takes place at all indicates that Allah is more powerful than the unbelievers’ deity, and hence greater.
And now that has been duly screamed in Athens, as it is being screamed all over the Western world. CAIR insists it’s nothing to be concerned about. And CAIR wouldn’t lie to us, would it?
At least 14 people were killed, including police officers and close to two dozen injured in a suspected suicide bombing outside a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday evening. According to a Swat District Police Officer (DPO) the suicide bomber identified as Umar detonated explosives after police personnel attempted to stop and search him at the entrance of the police station.
Right now — as you read this — there are warriors in Nigeria, in the Philippines, in America, in every corner of this broken world — carrying exactly what you are carrying. Feeling exactly what you feel. Fighting exactly what you fight.
And every single one of them was chosen.
Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s handiwork — His poem — created in Christ Jesus for works He prepared before we were born. That means the battle you are in was not a surprise to God. He saw it before the foundation of the world. And He chose you for it anyway.
Not because you are the strongest.
Because of what He wrote inside you before you were born.
You are not a random soldier hoping to survive.
You are a chosen warrior. And you were never meant to fight this alone
NO MATTER THE COST, I’m HOLDING THE LINE! Praise Jesus Deus Vult
Still finding more crusader music.
Warriors are not made in comfort zones.
They are made in the fire.
They are made in the moments when everything says stop —
and something deeper says one more.
The faithful few. The remnant; Unbroken.
I want to encourage people to fight on, don’t give up.
THE FIRE OF GOD IS NOT HERE TO HURT YOU. IT IS HERE TO BURN AWAY EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK.
You were not made to live in bondage. You were made to walk through the fire and come out refined, stronger, free. The same God who walked with the men in the furnace is walking with you right now.
This is your declaration today:
The enemy cannot touch what God has covered.
Every arrow, every attack, every plan of darkness —
it hits the Wall and BURNS before it reaches you.
“I will be a wall of fire around them,
and I will be the glory in their midst.”
— Zechariah 2:5
Stand firm. The Wall is REAL.
The fire is ACTIVE. And YOU are protected.
The Remnant Rising. Thank you, Lord, for NEVER LETTING US GO.
My song is my sword, and my worship is my weapon. In the middle of every battle, every burden, and every spiritual attack, praise becomes a powerful act of faith that breaks chains, silences fear and declares God’s victory over every circumstance. This is more than music—this is Spiritual Warfare Worship that rises from a heart fully surrendered to the Lord.
Lift your voice, fight with worship, and trust that the Lord is moving on your behalf.
Jesus is my Victory.
GOD bless the hearts of the chosen ones, called to awaken the spirits still asleep.
The mission is hard, but our strength comes from Heaven.
We fight not for our own glory, but for the glory of our God.
May His light guide our steps, His courage fills our souls, and His love crown our victory.
We didn’t start the fight.
This is not a season of defeat… this is your moment to RISE and defeat the enemy.
I have been made victorious with murder.
Allah
On Fire for Christ. A heartfelt prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to ignite every heart with holy fire. For our God is a consuming fire”.
Allah not only murders the body, but also murders the spirit.
The Lord is with you. He gives strength to rise, to fight, and to stand in victory.
Allah has killed more people than Hitler and Stalin combined.
Allah wants to kill millions more.