Well-intentioned 'Mosque Alert' examines tolerance and bigotry in the suburbs

Midway through Jamil Khoury's “Mosque Alert,” a Naperville woman describes a fellow Metra passenger arousing her suspicion because he appeared to be Muslim and carried a backpack.

Expressing regret about succumbing to fears fanned by stereotypes, upper-middle class Emily remarks: “It's the good Muslims who pay the price for the bad Muslims … The Muslims here in Naperville are the good Muslims. They're doctors, lawyers, engineers. They're not like those people overseas.”

Her assessment, steeped in the seemingly benign prejudice that often seeps into our subconscious, is among the multiple viewpoints expressed in Khoury's well-meaning yet uneven drama at Chicago's Silk Road Rising.

Khoury's inspiration came from the 2010 controversy over a proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But the Mount Prospect native set his fictionalized account in DuPage County where four Muslim congregations overcame opposition and are in the process of building their mosques.

“Mosque Alert” centers on a congregation's efforts to repurpose the old Nichols Library as the fictional Al Andalus Center, elegantly designed by mosque architect Christopher McCoy.

The play examines those efforts and the subsequent backlash from the perspective of three families, including Imam Mostafa Khalil (Frank Sawa), whose amicable approach to wary residents contrasts with his wife Aisha's (Amy J. Carle) more aggressive approach.

Helping to shepherd the project is Syrian-born Tawfiq Qabbani (Rom Barkhodar), a successful real estate developer prone to cutting corners and greasing palms. Among them is the palm of longtime friend and chamber of commerce director Ted Baker (Mark Ulrich), who values profits over friendship.

Ted's brother Daniel (Steve Silver) opposes the mosque and fans anti-Muslim sentiment on his website. During a cringe-inducing tirade at a town meeting, Daniel excoriates Islam and its followers. Silver's intense, riveting performance is the dramatic high point in director Richard Torres' production, which needs more polish and fewer fussy scene changes.

In terms of promoting understanding and respect in the wake of lingering bigotry, the ambitious “Mosque Alert” is a commendable piece of theater. Khoury writes eloquently and with conviction. He expresses viewpoints (even the most odious), boldly and comprehensively. But impassioned as they are, his characters feel like one-note creations, points on the tolerance spectrum. It's all a bit didactic, as if Khoury sacrificed fully developed characters to issues.