Bullets fired at Dome of Orland Park Illinois mosque
By Ray Hanania
A single gun-shot was fired through the Golden dome of the Prayer Center of Orland Park, a mosque that opened to much community opposition and controversy in the Southwest suburban community in 2004.
The Orland Park Illinois Police Department, which has taken strong stands in the past against incidents of anti-Muslim bias and violence, are actively investigating the incident, which reportedly took place early in the morning on Tuesday, around 6 am.
The gun shot occurred during the Fajr, or the prayer that takes place at the break of dawn each morning. Witnesses in the mosque during the prayer said the bullet had penetrated the dome and caused debris to fall on the 40 worshipers who were praying at the time.
No one was injured although the attack frightened many of the worshippers who feared the initial gunshot might be followed more more.
Incidents of anti-Arab violence has escalated over the years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In 2012, a shooting took place at the Muslim Education Center Mosque in Morton Grove while more than 550 worshipers were inside the religious center that also faced contentious community opposition.
Muslim and Arab organizations called on authorities to investigate the incident as a hate crime.
According to the news media, Orland Park police reviewed video images of the surrounding property which is located at 16530 S. 104th Ave. Orland Park is located about 25 miles southwest of the City of Chicago.
The mosque is considered one of Orland Park’s most impressive and striking architectural designs.
To understand the history of community protests against the Orland Park Mosque, click here to view Part 1 of a video documentary on the protests against the mosque. Click here to view Part 2 of the video documentary called “Eyes of the Beholder.”
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Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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