Schakowsky joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), local leaders and community officials at the ceremony and welcomed the agreement as a critical step into resolving this issue.  Under the agreement, a new Mosque for 525 worshipers will be built and the education center will be expanded.  Morton Grove Trustees approved the agreement last week by a vote of 5-1; however, the Planning Commission will have to act before construction can begin.

Below is Schakowsky’s statement:

“Good morning and As-Salaam-Alaikum.   I am very pleased to be here today with community leaders, local elected officials, Senator Durbin and all of you who have worked incredibly hard to find a solution to a complicated situation.  You have done the right thing and I commend you for it.  The signing of the mediation agreement today between the Village of Morton Grove and the Muslim Community Center is a critical step forward to reaching a final conclusion.  This is a milestone.

“Today, we stand together, united as a community. This is a testament to the strength and will of every person who believed that it was in the best interest of the Village of Morton Grove to work closely with the Muslim community and to reach an agreement.  It took some time, and with the help of the federal mediator, you succeeded in achieving an agreement that the community can and will support.  You also achieved a greater goal – by working together, you have set a course and an example that other communities around you can follow.
 
“The 9th Congressional District is one of the most diverse Congressional districts in the nation.  We are a district of individuals who represent varying ideas, beliefs and religions, but we share the same values that make us a community – respect for our neighbor, love for our country.  ‘We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions – bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality.’  That is what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said on November 1, 1940.  These words ring true today, more than ever.”