Sacred Learning NFP, a nonprofit
Islamic religious organization, has submitted a petition to the village of
Lincolnwood to demolish the former building that housed Myron & Phil's
steakhouse, a Lincolnwood institution for more than four decades that closed
down two years ago following a fire.
Owner of Myron & Phil's, Mark
Freedman—whose late father and late uncle founded the restaurant—has since
purchased a new property on Caldwell and Touhy avenues with plans to open a new
restaurant.
Islamic leaders representing
Sacred Learning NFP explained their plans for the property to trustees during
the May 19 Village Board meeting. Sayeed Shariff, executive vice
president of the organization, has said the facility would include a mosque,
but it would primarily be used as site for Islamic education that would offer
classes on evenings and weekends.
"This is a boutique mosque,
and not a big mega-center that we're trying to create," Shariff said.
"Our primary purpose is learning, and the mosque is a secondary use."
According to the site plans
submitted to the village, the Islamic center would host five daily prayer
sessions per day beginning at dawn and ending 90 minutes after sunset. The
building would have a worship space with room for 113 prayer mats that would
double as a classroom, and would also include office space and a lecture area.
The property is already properly
zoned for religious uses, but the developers will need approval from the
Village Board for six zoning variations relating mostly to parking and
landscaping.
Shariff, who was joined at the
May 19 Village Board meeting by Husain Sattar, president of Sacred Learning,
NFP, along with about 50 supporters of the mosque, addressed concerns raised by
Trustee Ron Cope about possibility of the center bringing heavy traffic to the
area.
"It's not our intent to fill
the mosque up with a lot of people," Shariff said. "At our busiest
time, we'll have no more than 50 to 60 congregants [at the center]."
Cope said he was primarily
concerned about traffic safety issues that could potentially arise due to an
influx of vehicles coming in and out of the facility during the frequent prayer
times. He requested formal confirmation about the traffic safety of the area
before he would agree to approve the variations, and village staff said they
would consult with the engineers and report back to the board.
"It's important that before
we approve this plan, that we make sure it's safe," Cope said. "I
want to hear the village engineer say that there won't be any safety
issues."
Cope also inquired about what
subjects would be taught in the classes that would be held at the Islamic
education center. Sattar, who said he designed the
organization's academic programs, said the classes would focus on spiritual
development.
"We focus on the basic
pillars of our faith, as well as the legal and spiritual aspects of our
faith," Sattar said. "We don't run a big show, but we run a quality
show."
Sacred Learning NFP currently
houses its operations in a building on the north side of Chicago on the 5900
block of North Lincoln Avenue.
The Village Board will decide at
a future board meeting whether to approve the requested variances that would
allow the organization to construct the new building.