Offended mayor bows out of rally at church

By Stanley Ziemba
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 2, 2004

The mayor of Orland Park had planned to read about tolerance from Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address at a church's 4th of July rally, but has backed out because he found objectionable comments made by the pastor about a proposed mosque.

Ashburn Baptist Church issued a news release Thursday announcing that Mayor Daniel McLaughlin, who joined in the unanimous approval of the Muslim house of worship last week, had withdrawn from the Patriotic Rally on Sunday.

In a letter to Rev. Vernon Lyons, pastor of the church at 153rd and Wolf Road, McLaughlin said it would be disingenuous of him to participate because of Lyons' stand against "the free exercise of individual religious beliefs."

"My belief in the Bill of Rights, including the freedom to worship in our own way, stands in stark contrast to that which you advocate," McLaughlin wrote. "I believe that to advocate in any way the prohibition of the free exercise of individual religious beliefs undermines the value of all our other freedoms."

Lyons was out of the country Thursday and unavailable for comment. His son, Rev. Sam Lyons, said McLaughlin's decision was "real disappointing."

"Although we have a difference of opinion on this issue, we have had a long, amicable relationship with the mayor," Sam Lyons said. "He's done a wonderful job of running the village, and I hope in the future he will participate with us."

Lyons said opposition to the mosque was not an attack on religious freedom, but was based on the notion that many in the community are not convinced the project petitioners are not in some way tied to terrorism. The mosque was approved over the objections of hundreds of residents at the meeting.

"We simply had a difference of opinion with the mayor and expressed that difference in a town hall setting," he said. "It was nothing personal. Freedom of speech is not a crime. You may disagree with a person's opinion but still come together for a barbecue."

But McLaughlin said Thursday that he found Vernon Lyons' testimony against the mosque particularly divisive.

"I have a problem with the comments he made and, therefore, I feel that it would not be proper for me to be [at the rally]," McLaughlin said.

Lyons had told board members that while he believes in religious liberty, "no group that jeopardizes our personal safety or our national security is deserving of our tolerance."


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