https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/b59004af5aa9aea88d68179568b2a590.jpg a7709842fcdd9acb4613461fe30e10e9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Illinois Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. A mosque operating out of a former school building in the Village of Berkeley, IL wanted to build a 13,000-square-foot addition to its Center, including a dome and minaret. Additionally, the mosque planned to renovate the exterior of the building. The Albanian-American Islamic Center had been operating continuously on the property since 1982. In 2001, the property was rezoned as a business district which required the Center to apply for an exception to construct the expansion. After more than 3.5 years of public opposition and permit denials, the DOJ launched an investigation. The investigation was closed when the Village approved the project in March 2008. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Il_03 Location The location of the interview Berkeley, IL Date 2004-2008 Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 5825 Charles Rd, Berkeley, IL 60163 Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. V3QP+M6 Berkeley, Illinois Proposed Project mosque expansion Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/XHAMIJASHQIP/">Albanian-American Islamic Center</a> Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance administrative denial; public campaign Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications approved (after DOJ investigation) Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. DOJ Closes RLUIPA Investigation After Illinois Village Allows Mosque Expansion* On April 4, 2008, the Civil Rights Division notified the Village of Berkeley, Illinois that it was closing its investigation into whether the Village had violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by refusing to allow the Albanian Islamic Center’s 13,000-square foot expansion plan. The Division closed its investigation after the Village approved resolutions on March 18 permitting the mosque, which had operated on the site for more than 25 years, to go forward with its expansion. In 1982, the Albanian Islamic Center purchased a 4.5 acre parcel of land housing a former school building on St. Charles Road, in Berkeley, Illinois and began holding religious services there. The Center has operated continuously at that location since then. The Center is the only Islamic institution in the Village of Berkeley and the only mosque in Illinois that aims specifically to serve Albanian immigrants. In 2001, the land on which the mosque sits was rezoned as a business district, which permits only tax-generating businesses and residences built on top of ground-floor businesses. Existing uses were grandfathered, but alterations to existing uses were prohibited unless an exception was given. Between January 2004 and May 2007, the Center made four applications to construct an approximately 13,000-square-foot addition to the Center, including a minaret. The Center proposed to expand to accommodate its growing membership and to give the Center a more mosque-like appearance. The Center’s religious services were often crowded with congregants spilling out into the halls. The Village denied all four of these applications. On August 3, 2007, the United States notified the Village that it had opened an investigation into whether the Village had violated RLUIPA by denying the Center’s applications for permission to expand. On March 18, the Village approved the Center’s proposed expansion and the Division closed its investigation in response. *Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. (2008, March/April). DOJ closes RLUIPA investigation after Illinois village allows mosque expansion. Religious Freedom in Focus, 32. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/religious-freedom-focus-volume-32">https://www.justice.gov/crt/religious-freedom-focus-volume-32</a>. Last Updated Date revised. June 27, 2020 Year Year the case began. 2004 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Berkeley, IL Description An account of the resource A documented account of Case No. IL_03, occurring in Berkeley, IL, 60163 from 2004 to 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Stewart Zelnick Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Approved Built DOJ Expansion Planning and Zoning