: Defender of Illinois Mosque Gets “Profile in Courage” Award

Former Palos Heights, Illinois Mayor Dean Koldenhoven has received the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for “speaking out against bigotry and religious intolerance toward an Islamic community that had hoped to convert a local church into a mosque.” It is widely believed that Koldenhoven’s principled stance contributed in his failure to win re-election in April 2001. “It’ll probably cost me the re-election,” Koldenhoven, 66, said when he backed the mosque. “But so be it. I’ve got to be able to sleep at night and look at myself in the mirror in the morning.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.