Chris Hush

Proposed Plainfield Mosque Approved After Initial Rejection

After claims of discrimination and an original no vote--the Plainfield Village Board voted in favor of allowing the Muslim community center to go forward Monday night.

It was a packed meeting, more than 100 people filled the village hall. An overwhelming majority supporting the proposed Muslim community center. A few opposed it-- citing traffic and parking concerns.

Those concerns led the board to a no vote last month. The Muslim community center will take the place of a former church and school on Route 126. Many at the meeting didn't understand why some members of the board would vote down the center--if a Methodist church had been their before. But after residents claimed religious discrimination--the board reconsidered that vote and approved it.

"I didn't understand their votes," one attendee said. "I did not understand their apparent unwillingness to embrace diversity and religious freedom in our town."

There are some conditions: The owners will have to follow parking restrictions and install a privacy fence for nearby residents.

The project is expected to begin soon, officials said.

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