Excerpt:
Despite the threat of a lawsuit, the Des Plaines City Council Monday night rejected a Bosnian Muslim group's request to allow a religious center in a part of town zoned for manufacturing.
The American Islamic Center's proposal to convert two connected one-story office buildings at 1645 Birchwood Ave. into a prayer hall/community center with classrooms, areas for performing arts, offices and eating space was denied last month by the city's community development committee despite the plan commission's earlier recommendation of approval.
The Des Plaines location would have been the sixth Bosnian Islamic center in the region, with other centers located in Northbrook, two in Chicago, and one in the Southwest suburbs.