Suburban mosques prepare for new wave of Afghan refugees

Classrooms that have been dormant since the start of the pandemic at Masjid Rahmah Great America Islamic Center in Lake Villa soon will serve as temporary shelter for refugee families.

The center is among several suburban mosques preparing to host a new wave of Afghan refugees expected to arrive any day.

Thousands of Afghans fled their nation amid turmoil last fall after the U.S. troop withdrawal and Taliban takeover. For nearly six months, they have been housed on U.S. military bases awaiting visas and now are being resettled across the country where they can find permanent residences and work.

Mosques in Des Plaines, Libertyville, Naperville and Villa Park are among those bracing for their arrival as part of a coordinated effort through the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.

Illinois already has received 1,400 Afghan refugees and is expecting 400 more in two waves of 200 each. They will arrive with 24 to 72 hours' notice from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Illinois Department of Human Services, said Irshad Khan of Gurnee, chairman of CIOGC.

CIOGC's Afghan Refugee Task Force is coordinating efforts to provide shelter, food, clothing and other necessities at various sites.

Task force members -- Muslim Women Resource Center in Chicago's Rogers Park, Arab American Family Services in Worth, Bridgeview-based Zakat Foundation of America, and CIOGC -- have committed to caring for 100 Afghan refugees each.

Around last September, CIOGC helped support and resettle 79 unaccompanied Afghan minors who since have been placed with relatives and foster families, mostly in other states. It provided Pashto and Dari language interpreters and cultural-competency training to organizations supporting the minors during the transition, Khan said.

Several suburban mosques, including Islamic Foundation North in Libertyville and Islamic Foundation of Villa Park, welcomed the minors to Friday congregational prayers and weekend Islamic schools.

Masjid Rahmah, a former church building on more than 8 acres off Monaville Road in Lake Villa, is converting five large classrooms of its on-site elementary school into temporary living quarters for its anticipated guests.

Two of the 20-by-20-foot classrooms already have been transformed into bedrooms with furniture donated by mosque community members. The other three classrooms also will be equipped similarly, said mosque President Ashfaq Hussain, who lives on-site in the imam's quarters.

Hussain doesn't know whether the mosque will be receiving families, individuals or both, and how many refugees to expect. Mosque leaders will accommodate them accordingly, taking into consideration their cultural and Islamic values, especially with respect to housing men and women, girls and boys separately as is customary, he said.

For how long is another unknown, as the refugees might stay three months, six months or more, Hussain said.

"At this point in time everything is fluid," Hussain said.

"We only have a vision in our mind. The community is well-informed of what is expected out of them and how much support we need to accommodate these people for transitional housing."

The 38,500-square-foot mosque building is well-equipped to handle their daily needs. It includes a prayer hall that can accommodate roughly 350 congregants, a separate area for women to worship if needed, offices, a conference room, a small food pantry, a commercial kitchen and separate showers/bathrooms for girls and boys. The attached school wing has eight classrooms and a large high school-size gymnasium, Hussain said.

Hussain, who is from Hyderabad, India, said the mosque's membership comprises a mix of cultures, including Arab, African American and the South Asian subcontinent.

"(We) don't know what challenges are ahead," said Hussain, adding, "Do we have the confidence that we can help them? Absolutely, yes."