Are reasons to fight parking lot hidden?

I wonder if the July 18 article about community opposition to the expansion of the Des Plaines Islamic Community Center parking lot really covers all sides of the issue.

There may be other reasons the neighborhood is opposed to a parking lot for a mosque, especially due to the fact that online comments about the article include, "That whole area looks like a Third World country, take a stroll through Dee Park any given summer evening. You're frowned upon if you're not wearing some sort of bedsheet," and, "I don't know what aesthetics the neighbors are complaining about, as that part of Potter Road looks like a dump."

The article also mentions that mosque attendees park blocking mailboxes and driveways, which is not only aesthetically unpleasing but also a nuisance.

It seems like a parking lot would solve this problem, and this article did not delve in to other possible reasons this community opposes expansion of the mosque.

Cassandra Roos

Communications intern

Council on Islamic-American Relations

Chicago