What makes Lake Co. great? The activism
Editor's note: This is another installment in our weekly series highlighting what people like about living in Lake County. This week, we asked that question of Mundelein's Ibrahim Mohamed.
Since moving to Lake County, Ibrahim Mohamed of Mundelein says he has met some compassionate people who value fighting for social justice as he does.
It's what endears him to a place he has called home for only three years.
Mohamed, 52, an imam who gives sermons at Islamic Foundation North's mosque in Libertyville, has been involved in several local issues as a member of Lake County United, a coalition of groups advocating for social justice.
"I have found people to be embracing, warm and generous," he said. "And that has really made a very positive impression on me. They are very excited about having us (Muslims), about welcoming us, about learning what the Muslim community is all about. That's a very nice change from the stereotyping and the Islamophobia that you see everywhere."
In recent months, Mohamed and dozens of volunteers from the nonprofit Lake County United joined in the effort to save Winchester House, the county-run skilled nursing home in Libertyville, from possible closure.
"That's what really galvanized people from different places," Mohamed said. "This is a very caring community. This is true on the level of my small (Muslim) community that I interact with regularly, as well as the larger community.
"I saw that first-hand working on the issue of Winchester House. I was positively impressed."
In September, the Lake County Board decided after much public pressure to replace the existing 160-year-old building with a smaller, modern facility.
"It was a win-win for everybody involved in the process," Mohamed said.
The cross-section of people who came together to support Winchester House represented diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and all walks of life, Mohamed said.
"They are real people that live in real communities … some of whom did not have any first-hand or vested interest," he said. "The one thing common that binds all of them is this genuine caring notion. It warms my heart on a cold day like today."
--