Silk Road Rising to Present 'PANIC INTERSECTING: Mosques, Zoning, and Islamophobia' Panel

Silk Road Rising will present a panel discussion titled "PANIC INTERSECTING: Mosques, Zoning, and Islamophobia" on January 19, 2016 AT 7 PM, moderated by Jamil Khoury.

The discussion will feature zoning specialist and attorney Mark Daniel, DuPage County Board Member Tony Michellasi, and CAIR-Chicago Trial Attorney Phil Robertson.

Moderated by Artistic Director Jamil Khoury, the panelists will discuss their experiences with mosque zoning disputes in the Chicagoland area and the motivations behind them. This event will create a broader understanding of the difficulties faced by the Muslim American community when they exercise their religious freedom.

The panel will also provide context for Silk Road Rising's upcoming world premiere of Jamil Khoury's MOSQUE ALERT.

Meet the Panelists:

"Panic Intersecting: Mosques, Zoning, and Islamophobia" will feature three professionals familiar with the complexities surrounding mosque zoning from different standpoints. Panelist Mark Daniel (left), is a zoning specialist attorney with experience representing Muslim Americans looking to build mosques in their communities. As a DuPage County Board Member, panelist Tony Michelassi (center) has first hand experience evaluating zoning proposals. He will share insights into how zoning proposals are evaluated at a County Board level. Panelist Phil Robertson (right), Trial Attorney at Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), will be representing mosque zoning cases that have retained CAIR's expertise, such as the American Islamic Center (AIC) against the City of Des Plaines.

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