1 10 101 https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/a98ba9e17e53af7a0227cbfe5b7de890.jpeg 0ec0ff316857cace1cefdf1d1d929b18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource This collection documents 29 cases of public opposition towards American Muslim cemetery building projects from 2002 to 2023. Each case contains a narrative that describes its events, which was compiled through analyzing newspaper archives via NewsBank and NexisUni. The primary challenge American Muslim communities face when establishing cemeteries is obtaining administrative approval from an entity such as a city council or board of commissioners. Residents' concerns related to groundwater contamination, lowered property values, and aesthetics often pressure authorities to deny cemetery projects. These reasons for opposition differ from those involving mosques, which tend to focus on increased traffic, violations of noise ordinances, and the potential for terrorism. This collection is more comprehensive than other compilations of cemetery cases, which cover a limited timeframe, are no longer current, or need to be updated (e.g., Pew Research Center 2012, Younes 2017, ACLU 2017, New America 2018, HuffPost 2024). However, it does not fully represent all controversies surrounding American Muslim cemeteries, as it focuses on post-2000 cases and does not include cases of vandalism against established cemeteries. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ryan Wang Title A name given to the resource Cemeteries Language A language of the resource English Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Current and former Oxford College of Emory University students: Sofia Fonti, Ben Damon, Geneva Cunningham, Ameer Alnasser, Nadira Hassan, Chloe Peyrebrune, Lauren Yee, Ammarah Ahmed, Alexander Cleveland, Ehren Fernandez, Andres Lebed Wright, Bryce Bentinck, Rahim Khan Alidina, Ayman Badawy, George Drakos, Shahmeer Khan, and Snehitha Vardhineni. Project supervisor: Dr. Florian Pohl Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Ga_09 Location The location of the interview Newton County, Georgia Date August-September 2016 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. A Muslim community from Doraville encounters strong expressions of concern about their efforts to purchase property on the eastern side of Newton County where they intend to build a Muslim burial ground and mosque. Public opposition begins to be voiced after a local newspaper reports on the building project in early August. In reaction, Newton County’s Board of Commissioners imposes a moratorium on building permits for new places of worship and, a week later, holds public listening sessions on the issue. A subsequent BOC meeting to discuss lifting the moratorium is canceled because of security concerns over a demonstration by a militia group. The moratorium expires without any direct BOC action. The event receives national, and some international, news coverage. The cemetery project proceeds but the county passes a new ordinance requiring public hearings for the development of projects on sites of more than ten acres. Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. F3MJ+95 Oak Hill, Georgia Coordinates Enter the coordinates for the location, if they are available. 33°29'01.3"N 83°55'10.3"W Proposed Project 135-acre development for cemetery; future mosque, cemetery expansion, school as well as residential and open space Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. Al Maad Al Islami Inc., Masjid At-Taqwa Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Local Ordinance (Public Protest) Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications The public campaign and actions by the Newton County Board of Commissioners slightly delayed the project, but the cemetery opened to begin operations in 2017. Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. On August 9, 2016, local journalist Alice Queen reported that Al Maad Al Islami Inc., a non-profit organization from Doraville, had received administrative approval from Newton County to develop a 135-acre property for a mosque and cemetery (Queen, 2016, Aug 9). Current zoning regulations did not require rezoning to construct a religious site. The developer purchased the property in August 2015 and submitted preliminary conceptual plans for a 10.5-acre cemetery with a burial preparation accessory facility. Also included in the plans was space for a future mosque, cemetery expansion, school, and residential and open space. The announcement triggered significant public opposition, particularly concerning the lack of prior public knowledge and potential increases in traffic and noise (ibid.). Commissioner John Douglas, whose district the project was in, received numerous complaints from residents. He voiced concerns about the project's impact and suggested changing zoning ordinances for future developments. Douglas also questioned the need for such a development based on the Muslim population in the county. He speculated about the possibility of the federal government resettling refugees in the area. Asked Douglas, "[W]ould building those things make us a prime area for the federal government to resettle refugees from the Middle East?" (Queen, 2016, Aug 9). Emails made public later revealed Chairman Ellis's struggle in responding to the project. Ellis emphasized that while the mosque and cemetery required no approval, a conditional use permit would be necessary for the school. In a later interview with Public Radio International, Ellis admitted that "[a]s a Christian, I probably reacted in some of the same ways. I will have to admit that I was a little nervous for the future of Newton County" (Bell, 2016, Nov 30). Douglas was more direct in his approach and asked the Board of Commissioners to put the cemetery project on the agenda for the next meeting on August 16, 2016. In an email to a member of the local clergy, he urged, "[A] show of local residents would be helpful to back up our displeasure and desire to change the direction of this project" (Tegna, 2016, Sep 5). On August 16, 2016, a boisterous overflow crowd attended the Newton County Board of Commissioners meeting to express their anger over the project. During the meeting, Commissioner Douglas proposed, and the commissioners unanimously approved a five-week moratorium on permitting places of worship to review and amend zoning ordinances. Although the decision to impose the moratorium was greeted with cheers from many in attendance, the Georgia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-GA) later described the action as discriminatory and called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the case. Finally, because no public comment was allowed at this BOC meeting, the commissioners decided to hold a public hearing on Monday, August 22, in a public venue large enough to accommodate the interested public. Following the BOC meeting, oppositional momentum picked up on social media. A Facebook group calling itself STOP the Mosque in Newton County established itself as the most influential social media site through which opponents expressed their hostility to the project and organized action seeking to prevent it from going forward. This group gained significant traction and was later listed as an anti-Muslim hate group by the<a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/anti-muslim"> Southern Poverty Law Center</a>. In contrast, three Facebook groups supporting the mosque emerged but attracted far less attention. More than 600 citizens attended the public hearings on August 22, 2016. Due to limited space in the Historic Courthouse, two successive seatings were scheduled. Most speakers voiced strong opposition, with concerns ranging from traffic to fears of terrorism. Anxiety that the project would serve as an Al-Qaeda training camp or that it would lead to the imposition of Sharia law in the community could be heard as well (Bluestein, 2016, Aug 23). The public meetings received unflattering national press coverage (Islamophobia in the age of Trump, 2016, Aug 23). In response to the public hearing, CAIR Georgia held a joint press conference at the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam with the Georgia NAACP and other organizations on August 23. The press conference addressed the Islamophobic statements heard at the town hall meeting the previous night. It also provided an update on the DOJ's response to CAIR's call for a federal investigation. Edward Mitchell, Executive Director of CAIR-GA, said that the DOJ had agreed to review CAIR's request and was deciding whether to begin a formal probe. Mitchell also reported on local outreach activities to churches and community leaders in Newton County. At the same time as the press conference, a delegation of Newton County clergy and residents followed a lunch invitation from Imam Mohammad Islam to visit the Doraville community at Masjid At-Taqwa to get to know each other and build mutual trust (Lutz, Aug 23, 2016). The following week, the Newton County commissioners met with Masjid At-Taqwa and CAIR-GA representatives in closed-door meetings. The talks resulted in a joint statement on August 31, 2016, indicating that the moratorium would likely be lifted at a special meeting on September 13 (Burns, 2016, Aug 31). However, due to security concerns following threats from a militia group, the BOC canceled its meeting. The moratorium eventually expired on September 21, 2016, and CAIR-GA withdrew its request for a federal investigation. Despite this resolution, international press coverage continued after the moratorium's expiration (Teague, 2016, Oct 13; Younes, 2016, Nov 7). Following the moratorium's expiration, Commissioner Douglas made one more attempt to stop the project by requesting the county change its cemetery ordinance to require "leak-proof" caskets and vaults. Georgia law does not mandate embalming or caskets for burial. The planning board rejected Douglas's proposal at its October 25 meeting. Construction of the Daarul Barzakh Cemetery moved forward in the spring of 2017. An access road to the cemetery property was built, and the first funerals occurred. Outreach efforts by the members of Masjid At-Taqwa also continued. On April 21, 2018, the Muslim community invited its neighbors around the cemetery property and interested residents to a meet-and-greet luncheon. The gathering was preceded by a service event that was part of the Great American Cleanup, locally organized by Keep Covington and Newton Beautiful (KCNB). Three Oxford College students who participated in the event later published an op-ed piece about their experience in a local newspaper (Pace, 2018, May 21). Daarul Barzakh Cemetery remains operational, with plans for a funeral home as part of the next development stage. References <ul> <li style="font-weight:400;">Bell, M. (2016, November 30). A planned Muslim cemetery and mosque outside of Atlanta is still on hold. PRI’s The World. <a href="https://www.wgbh.org/news/2016-12-01/a-planned-muslim-cemetery-and-mosque-outside-of-atlanta-is-still-on-hold">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Bluestein, G. (2016, August 23). Feds weigh whether to investigate Newton County mosque debate. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. <a href="https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/feds-weigh-whether-investigate-newton-county-mosque-debate/ePAScV95yxfH6eig99S43O/">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Burns, S. (2016, August 31). Newton County to lift moratorium on mosque, cemetery. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/local/newton-county-lift-moratorium-mosque-cemetery/BwSidKGAaY00D8cPeQlbWI/">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Islamophobia in the age of Trump. (2016, August 23). The Economist. <a href="https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2016/08/23/islamophobia-in-the-age-of-trump">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Lutz, M. (2016, August 23). Newton County mosque fight might draw federal scrutiny. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. <a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/newton-county-mosque-fight-might-draw-federal-scrutiny/5G0BS4JQZaAiR8smtK6rtO/">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Pace, L. (2018, May 21). Students share experience with Great American Cleanup,” [Column] The Covington News. <a href="https://www.covnews.com/living/religion/pace-students-share-experience-great-american-cleanup/">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Queen, A. (2016, August 9). Nonprofit plans to build mosque on Ga. Highway 162 in Newton County. Rockdale Citizen. <a href="https://www.rockdalenewtoncitizen.com/news/local/nonprofit-plans-to-build-mosque-on-ga-highway-162-in-newton-county/article_70b245e8-0979-54d3-9061-319302b83972.html">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Tegna (2016, September 5). Emails: Newton Commissioners wanted to ‘impact’ mosque, cemetery project. 11 Alive News. <a href="https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/emails-newton-commissioner-wanted-to-impact-mosque-cemetery-project/85-313972997">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Teague, M. (2016, October 13). Armed ‘3%’ militia fights against proposed mosque in tiny Georgia town. The Guardian. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/13/three-percent-militia-georgia-muslim-mosque-isis-doraville#:~:text=Armed%20'3%25'%20militia%20fights%20against%20proposed%20mosque%20in%20tiny%20Georgia%20town,-This%20article%20is&text=A%20Muslim%20congregation%20in%20central,ground%20for%20the%20Islamic%20State.">Web</a>.</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Younes, A. (2016, November 7). American Muslims brace for the worst after US election. Aljazeera. <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2016/11/7/american-muslims-brace-for-the-worst-after-us-election">Web</a>.</li> </ul> Last Updated Date revised. June 10, 2024 Year Year the case began. 2016 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Newton County, GA Description An account of the resource A Doraville Muslim community meets public resistance to buying land in Newton County for a burial ground. Due to controversy, the county pauses worship building permits and holds public listening sessions about the proposed project. A subsequent BOC meeting to discuss lifting the moratorium is canceled because of security concerns over a demonstration by a militia group. The event gains national and international news coverage. The cemetery project advances, prompting a new county ordinance mandating hearings for projects on sites over ten acres. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Florian Pohl Approved Built CAIR Cemetery Legislation Planning and Zoning Public Campaign Public Speech https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/6f171fdae71e6718aa477e380af6e819.jpg 668e4513da165c315521e3765b44510f https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/7c58793701d639bef32892fe56c5d715.jpg ad28465ee52b35bd88255a16e424ced5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Georgia Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Ga_03 Location The location of the interview Alpharetta, GA Date June 2009-March 2010 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. The Hamzah Islamic Center (HIC), founded in 2005, is a mosque developed on a 12 acre lot in Forsyth County. There was backlash from the opposition towards the construction of such mosque due to primarily traffic regulation concerns; however, the decision was approved in court in late 2009. The county did, however, insist the mosque use the public sewage system that would result in greater deforestation and costs so the HIC wanted to hold a public hearing to address their concerns; however, the request was denied in a 5-0 decision in reference to the sewer requirements. After resolving the debate over the type of sewage system the new facility will orchestrate, construction began in early 2011. Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 665 Tidwell Rd, Alpharetta, GA 30004 Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. 4Q82+XG Milton, Georgia Coordinates Enter the coordinates for the location, if they are available. 34°09'19.1"N 84°14'52.4"W Proposed Project An Islamic center that would involve construction on a 12-acre property along Tidwell Road of a roughly 20,000 square foot building that could seat up to 750 people, 130 parking spaces, and playground and picnic areas. The building would contain a mosque, school, community center, and gym. Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. <a href="http://www.masjidhamzah.com/">Hamzah Islamic Center</a> Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance public campaign (incl. legal campaign) Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications Unanimous approval of a sketch plat for the Hamzah Islamic Center in South Forsyth by the Forsyth Board of Commissioners. Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. The Hamzah Islamic Center (HIC) was founded in 2005. The center rented a property of 6,000 square feet at 1350 Union Hill Road to accommodate growing prayers and Sunday school demands. But after growing in size and wanting a more peaceful location, options for a new site were considered. Originally, the mosque was proposed to be built on property off Old Alpharetta Road, but an alternative option had to be considered after it was met with strong opposition from neighbors. Propositions by the HIC were met with concerns about traffic and opposition by the residents and adjoining businesses. It was decided that the proposed plan for the Islamic center would involve construction on a 12-acre property along Tidwell Road of a roughly 20,000 square foot building that could seat up to 750 people, 130 parking spaces, and playground and picnic areas (Pepalis 2009, Oct 5). The building would contain a mosque, school, community center, and gym. The Tidwell Road site is located on land zoned as agricultural, which allows for houses of worship. In June of 2009, members of the mosque organized a meeting with nearby residents of Tidwell. During the meeting, there were discussions on traffic, how the building is going to look, and other logistical aspects. Some who attended were friendly, while others were prejudicial. Some mosque representatives were told that they were not wanted in the area and were questioned on whether they were “planted by some foreign country” (Arrington 2009, Oct 1). In late June of 2009, an engineer for the mosque, Jack Hamilton helped run a county-mandated community meeting to explain to residents the plans for the 12 acres that the HIC had bought (Quinn 2009, Oct 3). Tareef Saeb, chairman of Hamzah said that they were going to, “talk about our plans and what it’s going to look like...and a little bit of religious background, educational stuff”, adding that they would also, “address any concerns or issues neighbors might have” (Reddy 2009, Jun 17). The meeting was held in an office of the Union Hill Road facility. Hamilton, who is half Thai, quickly became a target for ire and prejudice with his dark skin and hair. Someone asked in the meeting if the members of the mosque were in the U.S. legally (Arrington 2009, Oct 1). Another asked where the money to build the mosque was coming from. Others simply said, “We don’t want you here.” Wendell Walls, who lives near the mosque said that it’s strange that none of the Muslims have ever spoken up against Islamic radicals and extremists. However, Hamzah members made sure to treat their guests kindly. Food was prepared and visitors were asked to take of their shoes when they entered the prayer area. Only one woman refused to take off her shoes. Stuart Teague, an attorney working for a neighbor who opposed the mosque said the mosque members were “very courteous and nice” (Quinn 2009, Oct 3). Opponents of the center have repeatedly stated that they don’t oppose the center location because of its religion, and would do similarly if it was a Baptist church. For many of the Forsyth county residents, their biggest concern was traffic issues. Jennifer Howard, speaking on behalf of Quail Ridge and adjacent neighborhoods said that the facility would increase traffic, stating that “This [project] is entirely too large for this narrow two-lane road. Tidwell is a neighborhood street with no sidewalks and a great deal of pedestrian traffic. It has sharp 15-mile-an-hour turns, hills, and valleys with virtually no sight distance” (Arrington 2009, Oct 3). Other concerns involved issues such as parking spaces. Thomas Pappagallo, who lives close by to the site and was one of the opposition organizers, told commissioners that the neighborhood needs revitalization like sidewalks, better roads, and security to increase property values. The development of the mosque would cut into this. However, during the public hearing on October 1, 2009 on the decision to approve the mosque, overtones of fear and faith were not present. Instead, residents discussed concerns regarding trees being cut down, traffic, environmental impacts, and the effect on property values. Pappagallo and others tried hard to make sure the discussion didn’t devolve into religious attacks. After consulting at length with county staff and the county attorney, Commissioner Jim Harrell made the decision. The Forsyth Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a sketch plat for the Hamzah Islamic Center in South Forsyth. “I have consulted at length with staff and counsel,” Harrell said. “I don’t believe the board has any option but to approve [the request]” (LaRenzie 2010, Mar 10). Additionally, eight conditions offered by the applicants and several by Commission Chairman Charlese Laughinghouse were added to the sketch plat. One requirement, for example was that the mosque meet any traffic improvement requirements determined by the county engineering department, such as turn lanes or traffic signals. Overall, however, the nearly 200 neighbors from the Tidwell Road area were disappointed by this decision. When Commissioner Harrell announced the decision, some in the audience gasped in disbelief. Many believed that the development would lower their quality of life. Pappagallo believed that the mosque would just add to the list of problems in the area, saying, “We have sex crime. We have an issue with gang activity. We struggle with a lot of things in our area and this is just adding to the problems and issues that we have” (Arrington 2009, Oct 3). During a break after the vote was announced, Commissioner Harrell spoke to residents about the decision. A few of the residents challenged his decision and one woman vowed to make sure he doesn’t get re-elected. Several months later, on March 4, the commission voted 5-0 to deny a request by the HIC to hold a public hearing about sewer requirements (LaRenzie 2010, Mar 10). Commissioner Harrell and the board agreed that a public sewer for the mosque was the best option. The hearing would have reviewed a Zoning Board of Appeals’ decision to deny a sewer variance for a private septic tank. However, this decision did little to deter Saeb and the mosque members. “At the end of the day, we certainly suffered a delay and we actually had to pay for the soil test,” Saeb said. “But that’s pretty much all that it does for us” (LaRenzie 2010, Mar 10). Meanwhile, opponents of the mosque were challenging the matter in court. Val Knudson of the Tidwell Road Neighborhood Residents felt like the commissioners made a mistake. The group’s writ of certiorari, or petition to the Forsyth County Superior Court include concerns like traffic, and underestimation of the congregation size (LaRenzie 2010, Mar 10). The group has gathered more than 100 signatures on a petition opposing the mosque. However, Saeb, the chairman of HIC, was not worried and planned to go ahead with the construction plans. Additionally, George Butler , an attorney from Dahlonega representing the center said he received a letter from Pappagallo's attorney asking for conditions that were over the top and couldn’t be taken seriously. One of those conditions includes a stipulation that Hamzah pays neighbors “$20,000 per 24-inch tree that may happen to die for any cause within three years of construction if its within 50 feet of the common boundary” (Arrington 2009, Oct 3). The letter also asked that the mosque’s Sunday school classes for children be allowed only between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. In July of 2012, the HIC began holding its first prayers and classes in a temporary building on the site of its future permanent home in south Forsyth. Prayers have been going peacefully and the neighborhood is quiet. As the HIC members settle into the new Tidwell Road location, memories of the opposition fade. Traffic-wise, there has not been an issue. For those who had some fear of the unknown, outreach efforts and the openness of the center have made some of those concerns go away. The center has begun forming connections with the Cumming First United Methodist Church. Communications director of CFUM, Neida Streit has led her group class to visit the mosque for night time lectures and have also done a prayer walk on the site (LaRenzie 2012, Jan 31). The two churches plan to hold a soccer tournament for their youth groups and a cultural event for adults and families. References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. Local Coverage <ul> <li>Arrington, Julie (2009, October 1). Hearing on Mosque Thursday. Forsyth County News. Retrieved from www.forsythnews.com/local/local-government/hearing-on-mosque-thursday.</li> <li>Arrington, Julie (2009, October 3). Mosque Approved in South Forsyth. Forsyth County News. Retrieved from www.forsythnews.com/local/mosque-approved-in-south-forsyth</li> <li>LaRenzie, Alyssa (2010, March 10). Mosque Debate Not Over. Forsyth County News. Retrieved from www.forsythnews.com/local/local-government/mosque-debate-not-over</li> <li>LaRenzie, Alyssa (2012, January 31). Islamic Center Settling In. Forsyth County News. Retrieved from www.forsythnews.com/local/islamic-center-settling-in</li> <li>Pepalis, Bob (2009, October 5). Forsyth OKs Islamic Center Site. Appen Media Group. Retrieved from www.northfulton.com/news/forsyth-oks-islamic-center-site/article_8e04efd2-4850-546e-8c22-d157cb957f2e.html</li> <li>Reddy, Frank (2009, June 17). Mosque Meeting Planned Friday. Forsyth County News. Retrieved from www.forsythnews.com/local/mosque-meeting-planned-friday</li> </ul> Regional Coverage: Quinn, Christopher (2009, October 3). Prayers as Forsyth OKs its first mosque; Enmity marked June meeting on effort, but Muslims kept the faith. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, p.A1. Print. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alpharetta, GA Description An account of the resource A documented account of Case No. GA_03, occurring in Alpharetta, GA. 30004 from June 2009 to March 2010 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Justin Huang, Shiva Dhanasekar, and Sid Chandrasekar https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/e541712c73649a9bf00820ae10e1e617.jpg e3211f5a1b9761dbbbcaab8e09273f3f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource test Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource This collection documents 29 cases of public opposition towards American Muslim cemetery building projects from 2002 to 2023. Each case contains a narrative that describes its events, which was compiled through analyzing newspaper archives via NewsBank and NexisUni. The primary challenge American Muslim communities face when establishing cemeteries is obtaining administrative approval from an entity such as a city council or board of commissioners. Residents' concerns related to groundwater contamination, lowered property values, and aesthetics often pressure authorities to deny cemetery projects. These reasons for opposition differ from those involving mosques, which tend to focus on increased traffic, violations of noise ordinances, and the potential for terrorism. This collection is more comprehensive than other compilations of cemetery cases, which cover a limited timeframe, are no longer current, or need to be updated (e.g., Pew Research Center 2012, Younes 2017, ACLU 2017, New America 2018, HuffPost 2024). However, it does not fully represent all controversies surrounding American Muslim cemeteries, as it focuses on post-2000 cases and does not include cases of vandalism against established cemeteries. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ryan Wang Title A name given to the resource Cemeteries Language A language of the resource English Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Current and former Oxford College of Emory University students: Sofia Fonti, Ben Damon, Geneva Cunningham, Ameer Alnasser, Nadira Hassan, Chloe Peyrebrune, Lauren Yee, Ammarah Ahmed, Alexander Cleveland, Ehren Fernandez, Andres Lebed Wright, Bryce Bentinck, Rahim Khan Alidina, Ayman Badawy, George Drakos, Shahmeer Khan, and Snehitha Vardhineni. Project supervisor: Dr. Florian Pohl Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Cae No. GA_04 Location The location of the interview Lilburn, GA Date November 2009-August 2011 A documented account of Case No. GA_04, occurring in Lilburn, GA. 30047 between November 2009 and August 2011 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. "The congregation sought permission to expand two buildings into a 20,000-square-foot complex with a mosque, gym and cemetery. The Lilburn City Council rejected this proposal in November 2009 and a scaled-down proposal in December 2010. After the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to sue Lilburn, alleging religious discrimination, the city approved a modified proposal in August 2011" (Liu 2012). Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 5064 Lawrenceville Highway, Lilburn, GA 30047 Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. VVQ2+HJ Lilburn, Georgia Proposed Project A 7.9 acre expansion on a lot owned by the Dar-E-Abbas Islamic Shi’a Center to develop a larger mosque, athletic facility, and cemetery. Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. Dar-E-Abbas Islamic Shi’a Center. The community was established in 1998 and consists primarily of south Asian immigrants and their families. In 2009, the congregation size was approximately 250 members. Coordinates Enter the coordinates for the location, if they are available. 33°54'35.0"N 84°08'52.0"W Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Zoning ordinances and Federal Discrimination Lawsuits Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications Delayed, partially approved Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. On November 10th, 2009, in the city of Lilburn, Georgia, a proposal was made by the Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic Shia Center to expand its mosque. In the initial proposal, the Dar-e ‘Abbas wanted to purchase 7.9 acres adjacent to their original property; this was rejected on November 18, 2009, by the city of Lilburn, as the mosque’s land would violate zoning regulation due to its size. In 2010, a second proposal was made by Dar-e ‘Abbas, in which the mosque followed all the zoning requirements (Bernarde 2011, Aug 16). However, the community of Lilburn voiced their disapproval on the basis that even though it followed the zoning requirements, the expansion of the mosque would foment traffic and occupy parking spaces in the area. Based primarily on this public outcry, the City Council of Lilburn rejected the second proposal in December of 2010, though the proposal followed all the zoning requirements. This was followed by a lawsuit from the Dar-e ’Abbas Center and a complaint from the Department of Justice saying rejecting it was unconstitutional and religiously discriminatory. In August of 2011, a third proposal was made and the council voted 3-1 to approve it (Anderson 2012, Aug 10). Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic Shi’a Center Community In Lilburn, the Shi’a Community began as a group of a few families during the Reagan era, but it grew considerably in the 1990s and 2000s, coming from India, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The Shi’a community in Lilburn consists mainly of the Dar-e ‘Abbas congregation as a religious and cultural community that retains much of the Muslim religious tradition, as well as continued propagation and teaching of Islam, as exemplified by ‘DAISY’ (Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic School for Youth), where kids are encouraged to attend Islamic school every Saturday. First Proposal The first proposal to construct Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic Shi’a Center began in 2009 and was rejected on the grounds that the religious center occupied more land than county residential zoning laws would permit. Ironically, Lilburn city government had previously blocked a proposed expansion of another Muslim community by mandating that religious centers occupy over 5 acres of land when commercially zoned after they learned of these development plans in 2003 (Holder 2011). The Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic Shi’a Center’s first proposal was made in efforts to expand upon a preexisting mosque that had become too small to fit its 250 member congregation (Beasley 2009, Dec 17). On November 18 of 2009, the Shi’a community’s proposal to build a mosque, cemetery, and athletic facility on 7.9 acres adjacent to their preexisting mosque was rejected by the city council. The multipurpose facility violated a zoning requirement that mandated that religious institutions could not occupy a space of over five acres, which did not exist during the mosque’s original construction eleven years earlier (Beasley 2009, Dec 17). Thus the proposal was unanimously rejected by the city council (Bernarde 2011, Aug 16). The community filed a Federal Discrimination Lawsuit (Case No. 1:09-CV-3549-TWT) against the city of Lilburn, as they felt that this zoning restriction limited their religious freedom and showed favoritism for secular community centers, which could exceed five acres in size (Beasley 2009, Dec 17). The city of Lilburn presumably successfully defended against the lawsuit, as neither side commented on the case after 2010 and no reparations were ordered by the district court (Bernarde 2011, Aug 16). Additionally, the city held a community vote to decide to permit religious institutions to develop on land larger than five acres that the residents of Lilburn rejected (Beasley 2009, Dec 17). The plans for the Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic Shi’a Center were then adjusted to comply with zoning regulations. Second Proposal In order to accommodate the zoning regulations, plans for Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic Shi’a Center were scaled back not to include the cemetery and gymnasium of their original proposal in a space of 4 acres. Though the mosque’s proposal was within the guidelines of the zoning, on December 6, 2010 the Lilburn Planning Commission stated that the Mosques 20,000 square foot area worship space and 200 car parking garage would cause traffic and safety concerns (Bernarde 2011, Aug 16). Additionally, with the possibility of the mosque’s construction, citizens of Lilburn began to speak out against the mosque’s construction (Anderson 2012, Aug 10). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that city council members were receiving emails with complaints “ranging from thoughtful ruminations on the zoning implications to concerns that Islamic terrorists were going to destroy the city” (Anderson 2012, Aug 10). The city council voted in December of 2010 to on the mosque’s second proposal, which resulted in a 2-2 decision to pass the proposal (Bernarde 2011, Aug 16). Since a majority was needed to commence with the construction, the mosque’s efforts to pass a proposal were further delayed until 2011 despite the compromises the community made on the plans and adherence to zoning ordinances. DOJ Intervention On August 26, 2011, the United States Department of Justice filed a formal complaint against the city of Lilburn, Georgia (Case No. 1:11-mi-99999-UNA). The eleven-paged official document first recounted the previously described proposals and subsequent rejections. The complaint was filed for two main reasons: unfair treatment of the mosque, and lack of measures to ensure adherence to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. In the twenty-seventh clause of the document, the Department of Justice notes the numerous Christian churches the City of Lilburn had approved for rezoning. They note, however, that although similarly planned and formatted, the Dar-e ‘Abbas Islamic Center was not treated in a similar manner. This lead the Department of Justice to formally accuse the City of Lilburn of discrimination on the basis of religion. Additionally, the Department of Justice noted in the twenty-eighth clause of the document, that there were no procedures or practices in place to ensure that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 was not violated (Holder 2011). Third Proposal and Outcome Following the Department of Justice’s intervention, the plan for the Islamic center proposed in December of 2010 was approved. A founding member of the community, Wasi Zaidi, commented, "our neighbors might be mad now, but we love them" (Fox News 2011) After seven years of fundraising, more issues arose. A proposed expansion of the parking lot part of the 2011 proposal, which would add 178 spots, sparked further debate and disagreement amongst residents of Lilburn in 2018 when the construction was finally set to begin. The Islamic Center proposed the extra 178 spots would prevent members of the community from having to park in nearby parks and lots. Lilburn resident Donna Chapman, however, brought up the issue of traffic. “Say, if we needed the police or the firemen and traffic’s in the way, they couldn’t get here,” said Chapman, in a 2018 interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Coyne 2018, Nov 15). References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. Local Coverage: Bernarde, Scott (2011, August 16). A Timeline Look at the Mosque Issue. Stone Mountain-Lithonia, GA Patch. Retrieved from https://patch.com/georgia/lilburn/a-timeline-look-at-the-mosque-issue Regional Coverage <ul> <li>Beasley, David (2009, December 17). Muslim Congregation Sues Over Lilburn Mosque. Global Atlanta. Retrieved from https://www.globalatlanta.com/muslim-congregation-sues-over-lilburn-mosque</li> <li>Anderson, Joel (2012, August 10). Mosque Dispute Divides Lilburn. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from https://www.ajc.com/news/local/mosque-dispute-divides-lilburn/LvPOrdHdYiGajVPKkkaL8M</li> <li>Coyne, Amanda C. (2018, November 15). Lilburn Residents Object to Mosque Expansion at City Council Meeting. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from https://www.ajc.com/news/local/lilburn-residents-object-mosque-expansion-city-council-meeting/xQmOmIc8y73kAHf64myx7O</li> </ul> National Coverage <ul> <li>Esterl, Mike (2011, August 17). Georgia mosque wins approval. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903480904576513171323195258</li> <li>Fox News (2011, August 17). Controversial Georgia Mosque Wins Approval. Fox News. Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com/us/controversial-georgia-mosque-wins-approval.</li> </ul> Additional Sources <ul> <li>Liu, J. (2012). Controversies over Mosques and Islamic Centers across the U.S. Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Web.</li> <li>Holder, Eric H. (2011, August 11). United States of America v. City of Lilburn, Georgia. United States Department of Justice.</li> <li>Museum of History and Holocaust Education (n.d.). Community Histories. Understanding Islam in a Cross-Cultural Context. Retrieved from marb.kennesaw.edu/identities/exhibits/show/histories/atlanta-muslim-community</li> </ul> Last Updated Date revised. April 23, 2019 Year Year the case began. 2009 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource The congregation sought permission to expand two buildings into a 20,000-square-foot complex with a mosque, gym and cemetery. The Lilburn City Council rejected this proposal in November 2009 and a scaled-down proposal in December 2010. After the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to sue Lilburn, alleging religious discrimination, the city approved a modified proposal in August 2011. (Source: Liu 2012) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Title A name given to the resource Lilburn, GA Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alexander Cleveland, Ehren Fernandez, Andres Lebed Wright Approved Cemetery DOJ Expansion Lawsuit (RLUIPA) Mosque Planning and Zoning Under Construction https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/dca0c1658e60260cc4b047e93679bee3.jpg 9a0fa8ee559cc89130c5c5ac44f2cc57 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Georgia Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. GA_05 Location The location of the interview Alpharetta, Fulton County, GA Date May 2010-September 2013 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. The Islamic Center of North Fulton (ICNF) was founded in 1998 in Alpharetta, GA, holding worship in an existing structure on the 4-acre property. Since then, it has expanded from an original 25 members to serve over 600 people. The center agreed not to expand the original structure in 1998 and again in 2004, when the adjacent property was bought for the imam’s residence, until 2010, when they applied for city permission to replace the worship space with a new mosque and fellowship hall. After a heavily-attended public planning commission meeting, the City of Alpharetta voted unanimously to deny the application. The main concerns cited were increased traffic and failure to honor previous commitments not to expand. The ICNF sued the city under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and the U.S. Justice Department and other organizations also became involved in the case. Ultimately, a compromise was negotiated, which allowed ICNF to move forward with construction following a reduced plan and additional conditions. Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 1265 Rucker Road, Alpharetta, GA 30009 Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. MFG+CM Alpharetta, Georgia Coordinates Enter the coordinates for the location, if they are available. 34°05'02.1"N 84°19'27.7"W Proposed Project Replace 2,500-square-foot worship facility with 12,032-square-foot mosque and 1910-square-foot fellowship hall on 4.2 acre property in residential area. Imam’s residence on adjacent property to remain the same. Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. North Fulton Islamic Center, Imam Asad Khan Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Zoning Hearing (High Public Attendance), U.S. Justice Department Investigation, Center Sues City of Alpharetta in Court Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications Center is approved to build a 6,300-square-foot mosque and a 1,600-square-foot fellowship hall, totaling approximately 57 percent of the original proposed area. Additional condition not to expand again for the next 15 years. Project is finished by 2016 Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. The Islamic Center of North Fulton (ICNF) is located in the city of Alpharetta, GA, north of Atlanta. The center was first created in 1998 when the congregation of 25 moved into a modest, ranch style home on a four-acre lot (Anti-Defamation League 2011, May 3). The group submitted a special use zoning application as a religious institution, although zoning requirements imposed on religious groups are not meant to be a proxy to deny the practice of First Amendment rights. This application was approved and the congregation moved into the home to utilize it as a worship space with condition that the congregation would not expand the worship structure. In 2004, the center added an adjacent property on Rucker Road for the imam to reside in through another special use permit application. At that time, the center was part of Fulton County and not under the jurisdiction of the city of Alpharetta. Both the mosque and imam’s residence were approved by the county’s Board of Commissioners. Prior to approval of the addition of the imam’s house, some members of the congregation met with neighbors in order to assuage their concerns about the expansion (Islamic Ctr v Alpharetta 2012, Jan 5). Furthermore, nearby Fairfax Homeowners Association wrote a letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners expressing their insistence that the addition of the imam’s residence be grandfathered in to the prior agreement of non-expansion (ibid.). The Board of Commissioners took this letter into consideration and approved the request with the same condition as the original 1998 approval that this structure as well would not expand in the future (ibid.). A year later, the city of Alpharetta annexed the Islamic Center of North Fulton (Ellis 2010, Apr 26). By 2010, the congregation sought to renovate and expand the worship building to replace it with a much larger building at approximately 12,000 square feet and add a 1,900-square-foot multipurpose building (ibid.). This proposal was already scaled down from the congregation’s original desire to build 19,600 square feet in construction after neighbors expressed concern that the construction was too large (ibid.). The altered proposed-two-story main building would include a “gymnasium, library, administrative offices and prayer space” (ibid.). The congregation had grown enough that it was difficult to accommodate all members in the existing structure for any activities besides worship. Thus, the congregation wanted to have facilities for other purposes, such as offices and places to host community events. Although under the new jurisdiction of Alpharetta instead of Fulton County, the updated proposal was immediately met with pushback from the surrounding community. Neighbors in the surrounding residential area claimed that the proposed larger structure would not “fit in”, and they expressed concerns about increases in traffic, especially on Fridays when prayers have the highest turnout (ibid.). This was despite the fact that the center conducted a traffic report as part of their renovation proposal, and it found that services on Fridays will only add “about 52 roundtrips more at the peak hour, from 161 trips to 213 trips” (Hurd 2010, Mar 23). Prior to appearing before a determining body, the ICNF hosted a community meeting on March 16th, 2010, only a few weeks before their appearance in front of the Alpharetta Planning Commission on April 1 and City Council on April 27 (Hurd 2010, Mar 23). This meeting and the scaling back of the center’s application did little to persuade the city to approve the application. On May 6th, 2010, the Alpharetta Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of the construction request in a 7-0 decision (Ellis 2010, Apr 26). During this meeting, the Planning Commission heard testimony that noted that the current facilities were not serving the congregation fully. One commission member, Will Gurley, described his decision by saying that the congregation’s previous commitment to not expand either the worship space or imam’s house when they were approved by Fulton County were “‘important [ones] that neighbors relied on’” (ibid.). The plan went to the Alpharetta City Council on May 24 with the recommended denial of plans (ibid.). Then, the City Council voted 6-0 to reject the expansion proposal (Fox 2011, May 9). The City Council denied the Special Use rezoning application by citing again that the center was not honoring its promise made years ago not to expand its facilities and by claiming that the congregation could still exercise its right to practice religion freely in its existing space. In June of 2010, following the City Council decision, ICNF sued the City of Alpharetta for religious discrimination under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, or RLUIPA (U.S. Department of Justice 2012). This law prohibits municipalities from favoring certain religions over others and requires that such a decision that denies religious group requests based on zoning requirements are done in the least “restrictive way to accomplish a compelling government interest” (Fox 2011, May 9). About a year after the City Council’s decision, the federal Justice Department announced that it was investigating the city’s decision under RLUIPA (ibid.). In June of 2011 the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish non-government organization, filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the Interfaith Coalition of Mosques in the U.S. District court for North Georgia (Anti-Defamation League 2011, May 3). This briefing sided with the ICNF, claiming that the city of Alpharetta unlawfully rejected its construction plan (ibid.). The case went to court, and “Senior U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester dismissed the suit” in January 2012 because the city supposedly did not violate the federal law (Rankin 2013, Feb 13). The City of Alpharetta was granted summary judgment, which meant the case was determined not to need a full trial. Following this, the ICNF appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the ICNF, criticizing the district court for using inappropriate standards to evaluate religious discrimination and “substantial burden” of religious exercise (U.S. Department of Justice 2012). The DOJ argued that ICNF effectively demonstrated that the permit denial substantially inhibited their religious exercise and the district court “should have examined all of the surrounding factors to determine whether religion was the motivating factor of the County's decision” (same as previous). The center’s plan of expansion was within the “mid-range of comparative worship facilities in the city”, which have been allowed to expand multiple times, noted Nathaniel Pollock from the federal Justice Department (Rankin 2013, Feb 13). However, the city claimed that they were not placing significant burdens on the ICNF to practice their religion or discriminating based on religious grounds, simply that they imposed “‘inconveniences’” in a routine zoning case (ibid.). Thus, a panel of three federal judges gave the city of Alpharetta and the ICNF 120 days to reach a settlement or the court would rule on the case (ibid.). This pattern of attributing all denials of the ICNF’s proposals to zoning requirements dates back to their original proposal, when a former city council member said that the case was unrelated to religion-- “‘If this were a Southern Baptist Church or a QuikTrip … it would not make any difference whatsoever’” (Ellis 2010, May 7). However, the amici brief also stated that the “proposed mosque compares favorably in terms of size and effect to the two churches located on the same road...these two churches located on the same road have ‘been allowed to expand multiple times’” (U.S. Department of Justice 2012). In May 2013, the ICNF was vandalized by an unknown person, likely an elderly white man (according to witnesses) who wrote “London justice” and “Where is justice” in white paint on a sign at the entrance of the Center. The phrases seemed to be in response to the fatal attack of a British soldier by two Muslim extremists in east London just days earlier, which prompted anti-Muslim attacks in the UK. The Council on American-Islamic Relations asked for authorities to investigate the vandalism as a hate crime (Bikya News 2013, May 28). In September of 2013, three years following the initial plans for expansion, extensive “court mediation” resulted in a “compromise” to expand the structure. This new request reduced the intended expansion size to two buildings totaling 7,900 square feet as opposed to the originally planned 12,000 square foot, single-building expansion. A Planning Commission member noted specifically that he voted against the previous request for expansion, but that he “[felt] good that both sides have worked in mutual agreement to provide something balanced for worshipers and residents.” On September 5th, the Alpharetta Planning Commission voted 5-1 in approval of this revised plan. The agreement included 25 conditions, including a requirement of a police officer to direct street traffic during Friday services, a security fence around the property to prevent vandalism, and an agreement to not build anything else for 15 years (Copsey 2013, Sep 8). The community held a fundraiser for the project in May 2014. There is little information regarding the physical construction of the expansion, but construction finished approximately in May of 2016. References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. Local Coverage <ul> <li>Copsey, Jonathan (2013, September 8). Alpharetta Planning Commission approves Islamic Center. Milton Herald.</li> <li>Hurd, Hatcher (2010, March 23). Islamic Center of North Fulton seeks expansion. Appen Media Group. Web.</li> </ul> Regional Coverage <ul> <li>Ellis, Ralph (2010, April 26). Some Alpharetta neighbors oppose growth of facility- Increase in traffic cited as reason for hesitance. -Leaders want to replace old building with larger, more modern one. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved from NewsBank.</li> <li>Ellis, Ralph (2010, May 7). Alpharetta board rejects Islamic center expansion. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Web.</li> <li>Fox, Pat (2011, May 9). Feds investigating Alpharetta mosque decision. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Web.</li> <li>Rankin, Bill (2013, February 13). Alpharetta, Islamic center return to mediation. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Web.</li> </ul> National Coverage <ul> <li>S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (2012). City and Town Engaged In Systematic Religious Discrimination, Suit Alleges. Religious Freedom in Focus, 52(June). Web.</li> <li>Pew Research Center (2012, September 27). Controversies Over Mosques and Islamic Centers Across the U.S.</li> <li>Interfaith Coalition Acts to Protect Rights of Georgia Mosque (2011, May 3). Anti-Defamation League (USA). [Press Release] Retrieved from NewsBank.</li> <li>Islamic Ctr v Alpharetta. (2012, Jan. 5) Retrieved from scribd.com/document/79534359/Islamic-Ctr-v-Alpharetta.</li> </ul> International Coverage: Bikya News (2013, May 28). CAIR asks FBI to probe Georgia mosque vandalism tied to London attack. Cairo, Egypt. Available from NewsBank. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fulton County, GA Description An account of the resource A documented account of Case No. GA_05, occurring in Fulton County, GA. 30009 from May 2010 to September 2013 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Annie Chappell, Madeline Jones, Megan Lagerquist, and Emily Plumb Approved Built DOJ Lawsuit (RLUIPA) Mosque Planning and Zoning Public Campaign https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/88a8b93da67aef0d007341e0931954e8.jpg 7b9ca8fafb588e967c5ffcda18e3c476 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Georgia Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Ga_06 Location The location of the interview Kennesaw, Cobb County, GA Date November 2014-April 2015 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. A Muslim community from Kennesaw, Ga, intends to convert a space in a strip mall into a storefront masjid after realizing that the distance of other masjids make attending congregational Jummah (Friday) prayers inaccessible to many of those with commitments. Upon proposing this plan to the Kennesaw City Council, they are asked to attend a public hearing. This is unprecedented, as a strip mall Pentecostal church was recently approved without a hearing. Regardless, the masjid’s board members agree. Although this is intended to be a board meeting to discuss zoning concerns, it is clear that oppositions fueled with Islamophobia take the stage. An amended version of the masjid’s motion is denied 2-3; the original plan is then revisited, yet once again denied 4-1. Two weeks later, after media attention at the local and national levels, the original motion is approved unanimously. The masjid’s board members (with the assistance of the Department of Justice) file a successful lawsuit to avoid any denial or discrimination in the future. Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 2750 Jiles Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30144 Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. 29FG+R8 Kennesaw, Georgia Proposed Project 2200 sq. ft space in a strip mall, with two separate entrances for men and women; occupancy of maximum 150 people; expected amount for daily prayers is 10-20; 60-80 at peak Friday times; appropriate amount of parking spaces Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. Masjid Suffah Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Local ordinance (public protest), zoning dispute Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications Denied, then approved Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. Masjid Board Members Create Proposal For members of the Kennesaw’s Muslim community, the closest masjid that they could attend was about a 30-minute drive. This meant an hour for commute alone, not including unanticipated traffic flow, in addition to the prayer service which lasts roughly another hour. For those in the community with workplace commitments or childcare obstacles, this meant missing what is considered the most important prayer in Islam: Jummah prayers. Jummah prayers are congregational prayers that take place on Fridays, in the way that Christians come together on Sundays. However, inaccessibility unfortunately made Kennesaw’s Muslim residents miss Jummah prayer. Five members of the community realized that they could seize the opportunity to establish a masjid in Kennesaw to make it easier for Muslim residents to attend congregational prayers (personal communication, March 1, 2019). They found a suitable space in a strip mall alongside other small businesses to convert into a storefront mosque. Petition to City Council for Temporary Use Permit Issues surrounding the permitting process for Masjid Suffah were numerous. Starting with meetings between Masjid officials and city councilmembers in early November and progressing through a city council meeting on November 17, the acceptance of the application was dragged out. The process had no precedent. Space in a similar shopping center had been let out to a Pentecostal Church less than six months prior (Brangham 2014, Dec 20). The board members of the masjid attended the city council meeting on November 17 during which public comment was invited. The board members remember the majority of queries at the meeting were about Islam and not about zoning issues (personal conversation, March 1, 2019). The city council decided the table the issue for two weeks until the next regularly scheduled meeting on December 1 and asked the applicants to have information meetings (public hearing) with their neighbors in the interim. During the follow-up meeting of the city council on December 1st, the attorney acting on behalf of the city, Randall Bentley, asked the masjid if they were willing to agree to several stipulations, including a maximum Land Use permit of 24 months, a cap on the number of attendants and parking spaces, and a promise not to challenge the city legally under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which protects religious buildings like Masjid Suffah from discrimination under zoning and landmarking laws. The masjid agreed, and this amended motion was proposed by Councilmember Welsh and seconded by Council member Killingsworth. It failed by a 2-3 margin, with only Welsh and Killingsworth in support. The motion to retain the original plans for the masjid construction was then voted on and failed 4-1, with only Councilmember Welsh in favor. Councilmember Welsh, the only initial “yes” vote and herself a devout Catholic, reported that after her “yes” vote, her private information, including her home address, Facebook, and pictures of her children had been released on a hate site. Despite “being rattled” by the negative attention, hate, and threats from her constituents (Brangham 2014, Dec 20). Reversal of City Council Vote and Lawsuit Exactly two weeks from the first vote, the original motion was passed unanimously, although not without significant difficulty. The threat of a lawsuit from the masjid and the potential involvement of a federal judge put significant pressure on the Council to rectify its actions. The additional fact of masjid officials being in contact with the Department of Justice, even unofficially, made it extremely politically fraught for the Council not to allow construction. Following the reversal, the masjid decided to sue the City Council to prevent further action from being taken against the masjid. Dillard, an attorney who has previously won similar cases in Alpharetta and Marietta, known as a religious freedom expert, submitted the filing on December 30th (Klepal 2015, Jan 1). Public Protest Some of the key issues community members brought up in the initial City Council Meeting on November 17, 2014, explored the idea of traffic congestion, availability of parking, community and business disturbances, and the masjid’s effects on the commercial activities at the shopping center. David Nicholas, a community member, argued, “It is a retail space and compatibility may be an issue. Section e-6 addresses adequate parking and 60-80 people will attend but will be there at various times during the day. If there are 127 parking spaces, that many people will be more than half of the available parking. Growth does not seem limited” (Kennesaw City Council Hearing, Nov 17, 2014, p.11). Maria Nicholas, the wife of David Nicholas, also addressed the issue of public disturbances that could be seen within areas like nursing homes. She posed questions regarding noise levels from traffic and the mosque itself that could be a potential hazard to the elderly (ibid.). Owners of several stores pondered the question of what the mosque would or would not bring to their businesses and the possibility. In response to the issues raised at the meeting, Attorney Dillard argued for the leasing of the permit due to the fact that zoning cannot be denied over the fear of traffic and anticipated parking issues (ibid.). Several questions about the type of religious practice at the proposed masjid were voiced at the city council meeting on November 17 but resurfaced with greater intensity at the mandated public hearing Monday, November 24 (Galloway 2014, Dec 5). The subsequent city council meeting on December 1 did not allow public comment but protesters gathered outside city hall before the session with signs reading “Ban Islam,” and “Islam wants no peace.” Protesters also held American flags as well as the old Georgia state flag that includes the Confederate battle flag. Some protester openly carried firearms (ibid.) Aftermath The masjid’s journey extended far past issues of zoning and local xenophobia. Media attention at the local and national levels propelled this case into discussions of religious freedom and the true impact of the First Amendment. Reporting done by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Huffington Post, and PBS highlighted the importance of the Kennesaw case after a long battle against not only the city council but also against protestors from the Kennesaw area as well from areas farther away. After a difficult beginning, the mosque is now successful and has brought together the Muslim community of Kennesaw in even greater ways. Since the issues with city council, Masjid Suffah opened up the storefront mosque and members are currently finishing up interior development. They regularly hold daily worship sessions, including the Friday prayers. Other activities at the masjid include meals to mark the end of Ramadan fasting and donations to surrounding underserved communities. Building a Permanent Space Members of this masjid have initiated plans to build a large, permanent multi-purpose space of 3.5 acres and 200 parking spaces for both regular worship and for children to play. Zoning and budget affairs have already been worked out and architecture plans have been submitted to the city council. The project is also privately funded, making it difficult to predict when it will be completed. Masjd Suffah continues to face some of the same obstacles with parking concerns from residents and permit issues delaying construction. References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. Local: Selby, Emily (2016, July 05). Kennesaw mosque thriving after bumpy beginning. Marietta Daily Journal. Web. Regional <ul> <li>Galloway, Jim (2014, December 3). Behind Kennesaw's rejection of a storefront mosque. The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Web.</li> <li>Klepal, Dan (2014, December 31). Federal lawsuit filed as precaution over Kennesaw mosque. The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Web.</li> </ul> National <ul> <li>Brangham, William (2014, December 20). Freedom of religion? Mosque debate in Georgia town reveals sharp divide. PBS News Hour Weekend. Web.</li> <li>Shahshahani, Azadeh (2015, March 11). Mosque Controversy in Georgia. Huffington Post. Web.</li> </ul> Local Government Documents <ul> <li>City of Kennesaw (2014, November 17). Minutes of Mayor & City Council Meeting. City of Kennesaw. Web.</li> <li>City of Kennesaw (2014, December 1). Minutes of Mayor & City Council Meeting. City of Kennesaw. Web.</li> </ul> Last Updated Date revised. August 23, 2019 Year Year the case began. 2014 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kennesaw, GA Description An account of the resource A documented account of Case No. GA_06, occurring in Kennesaw, GA. 30144 in Cobb County from November 2014 to April 2015 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Fardowsa Ahmed, Neha Ali, Rukmini Kalamangalam, Em Persaud, and Ninika Osuji Approved Built DOJ Lawsuit (RLUIPA) Mosque Planning and Zoning Public Campaign https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/21c879878c36d1408b34c1ec7d931c79.pdf ec261f61bc05627042f13fa0020bb9a9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Mosque Building Elevations [online image] (2015). Retrieved October 7 from http://www.cordobacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Mosque-Building-Elevations.pdf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource This collection documents 29 cases of public opposition towards American Muslim cemetery building projects from 2002 to 2023. Each case contains a narrative that describes its events, which was compiled through analyzing newspaper archives via NewsBank and NexisUni. The primary challenge American Muslim communities face when establishing cemeteries is obtaining administrative approval from an entity such as a city council or board of commissioners. Residents' concerns related to groundwater contamination, lowered property values, and aesthetics often pressure authorities to deny cemetery projects. These reasons for opposition differ from those involving mosques, which tend to focus on increased traffic, violations of noise ordinances, and the potential for terrorism. This collection is more comprehensive than other compilations of cemetery cases, which cover a limited timeframe, are no longer current, or need to be updated (e.g., Pew Research Center 2012, Younes 2017, ACLU 2017, New America 2018, HuffPost 2024). However, it does not fully represent all controversies surrounding American Muslim cemeteries, as it focuses on post-2000 cases and does not include cases of vandalism against established cemeteries. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ryan Wang Title A name given to the resource Cemeteries Language A language of the resource English Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Current and former Oxford College of Emory University students: Sofia Fonti, Ben Damon, Geneva Cunningham, Ameer Alnasser, Nadira Hassan, Chloe Peyrebrune, Lauren Yee, Ammarah Ahmed, Alexander Cleveland, Ehren Fernandez, Andres Lebed Wright, Bryce Bentinck, Rahim Khan Alidina, Ayman Badawy, George Drakos, Shahmeer Khan, and Snehitha Vardhineni. Project supervisor: Dr. Florian Pohl Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Ca_09 Location The location of the interview San Martin, CA (Santa Clara County) Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 14065 Monterey Road, San Martin, CA 95046 Proposed Project The Cordoba Center project includes a 9,000 square-foot mosque, 14,500-square-foot community center, 15,000-square-foot community plaza, and 3,380-square-foot caretaker's building. The project is designed to be eco-friendly with heavy influence from Spanish-Andalusian architecture. The proposed cemetery covers 3.5 acres and has a maximum of 1,996 gravesites, with a limit of 30 burials annually. Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. <a href="http://www.svic.org/blog/">South Valley Islamic Center</a> Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications The South Valley Islamic Center received project approval in December 2019. Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. The South Valley Islamic Community (SVIC) in San Martin, California had been gathering in a small sheep barn in San Martin to carry out religious activities like praying and providing children with Sunday school. The barn, which was loaned to the Muslim community in 2001 by a Vietnam War veteran for free, was only a little larger than 1,000 square feet and only contained a small air conditioning unit and carpet (Vo, 2019, May 23). This was insufficient for the almost 100 American Muslim families that make up the Muslim community in the neighborhood. These situations encouraged SVIC to propose building a mosque, community center, and cemetery in San Martin, named Cordoba Center, to better accommodate the growing community. The name was inspired by the Spanish city of Cordoba where Islam, Christianity, and Judaism flourished together during the Dark Ages (Rodriguez, 2012, August 21). The proposed project included a 5,000-square-foot prayer hall, multipurpose room, and a 2-acre cemetery on a 16-acre property on Monterey Road (Rodriguez, 2012, August 21). The project had been in planning by the South Valley Islamic Center since 2006 but was delayed until 2012 due to a lack of adequate funding. Initial Acceptance of Project and Subsequent Backlash The project gained conditional approval from the Santa Clara County Commission on August 2, 2012, after five Santa Clara County supervisors unanimously voted in favor of building the mosque (Rodriguez 2012, September 26). After reviewing the capacity of the septic system, the Planning Commission decided to limit the facility to 80 regular attendees and a maximum of three single-day events throughout the year for up to 150 people with extra porta-potties provided on those specific days (Santa Clara County upholds planning commission approval, 2012, September 27). The conditional approval faced backlash from both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities in San Martin. Whereas the SVIC and Muslim community were dissatisfied with the conditions imposed on the mosque to be built, members of the local non-Muslim community opposed the project citing environmental and traffic concerns as the main reason, despite the initial project being scaled down. Another reason for the backlash was the anti-Muslim sentiment in the town. The opposition to this project became clear at public meetings held in Morgan Hill where opponents of the mosque did not hide anti-Muslim sentiments (Muslim center approved for South County, 2012, August 4). One group of opponents, Gilroy/Morgan Hill Patriots, argued that the Cordoba Center was not useful for the community because they believed that no Muslims were living in the San Martin community and that only Muslims coming in from outside the San Martin community would use the proposed mosque (Muslim center approved for South County, 2012, August 4). The opposition group invited a guest speaker, Peter Freidman, who manages an anti-Muslim website, to the Gilroy Library on August 18, 2012, for a presentation (Rodriguez, 2012, September 26). Legal Actions and Consequences The dissatisfaction from the two communities led to three appeals being filed against the Planning Commission’s decision to approve the project. The People’s Coalition for Government Accountability and the San Martin Neighbourhood Association wanted to reverse the decision of the Planning Commission through their appeals (Santa Clara County, 2012, September 27). The South Valley Islamic Center, on the other hand, appealed to change some of the restrictions imposed on the Cordoba Center, requesting to expand one of the buildings and increase the number of events they could hold throughout the year (Rodriguez, 2012, September 26). The project received approval from the county Planning Commission after the appeals had been filed, allowing the Center to organize one additional event per year (Santa Clara County, 2012, September 27). Opponents of the People’s Coalition for Government Accountability and the San Martin Neighbourhood Association expressed that the project was too large for the rural area and that the water contamination from Muslim burial methods and traffic concerns had not been examined carefully. Although county officials argued that the planned project passed all the necessary tests, opponents continued their attempts to block it. The opposition, along with the threat of legal actions against the Islamic Center, led to the Islamic Center voluntarily withdrawing the project proposal. Resubmission of Masjid Proposal and Current Status In 2016, the South Valley Islamic Institution proposed the Cordoba Center project again for approval. The project was almost triple the size of the previous project proposal, citing potential population growth and future requirements as the main reason. The new project, at the same site, included a 9,000-square-foot mosque, 14,500-square-foot community center, 15,000-square-foot community plaza, a 3,380-square-foot caretaker's building, and 3.5 acres for cemetery use. The new facility would have a maximum capacity of 300 people for regular events and would organize four special events throughout the year for up to 500 people (Vo, 2019, May 25). The group agreed to fund an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The new project received further backlash from the San Martin community. Most people argued that the rural area was not adequate for this project. Previous reasons for opposing the proposal resurfaced again. Most people cited environmental concerns, particularly water contamination. Traditional Muslim methods of burial do not use a coffin or embalming. This led to concerns that the well water in the community would get polluted. The EIR suggested that the impact on groundwater would be alleviated if the mosque limited burial to 30 per year (Vo, 2019, May 25). Others suggested that the Cordoba Center did not represent American culture and would spread Islam and terrorism in the community. Others believed the project was too large for the area, despite a Hindu Temple of 15,000 square feet having gained approval for extension recently (Danish, 2018, September 5). The Board of Supervisors finally approved the project in December 2019 (Vo, 2019, December 20). Fundraising for the project is ongoing. It is mainly funded through donations and traditional loans. References <ul><li>Danish, M. (2018, September 5). Mosque and community center planned in San Martin waiting for green light. KALW Local Public Radio. Retrieved from: https://www.kalw.org/post/mosque-and-community-center-planned-san-martin-waiting-green-light - stream. </li> <li>Muslim center approved for South County (2012, August 4). San Jose Interfaith Examiner (CA). Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/14084C306C052658.</li> <li>Rodriguez, J. (2012, August 21). Rural Mosque divides area: Muslims’ search for a home in South Santa Clara County sparks a clash over religion, politics and the environment. San Jose Mercury News (CA), p. 1A. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/140D1A3AA310CE80.</li> <li>Rodriguez, J. (2012, September 26). Mosque OK’d in rural area- American Muslim group allowed a smaller building than it wanted. San Jose Mercury News (CA), p. 1B. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/1418F61BA277FD68. Muslim center approved for South County (2012, August 4). San Jose Interfaith Examiner (CA). Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/14084C306C052658.</li> <li>Santa Clara County Upholds Planning Commission Approval of the Cordoba Center Religious Facility (2012, September 27). Targeted News Service (USA). Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/141911B5901347B8.</li> <li>Vo, T. (2019, December 20). Mosque to rise amid new Islamic cemetery - Board of Supervisors unanimously approved permits for the project, which has been in the works for a decade. Mercury News, The (San Jose, CA), p. B1. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/177F75EABADF59A0.</li> <li>Vo, T. (2019, May 25). Scaled-down San Martin mosque requested- Santa Clara County Planning Commission supports project but says it’s too large for rural community. Mercury News, The (San Jose, CA), p. 1B. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/173B80D40BC171F8.</li> <li>Vo, T. (2019, May 23). Mosque/Cemetery Proposal stirs controversy in San Martin- size of Islamic Center project would ‘change the face’ of rural area, some residents say. East Bay Times (CA), p. 1A. Available from NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/173B7F7CC59058D0.</li> </ul> Last Updated Date revised. April 8, 2022 Year Year the case began. 2012 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource San Martin, CA Description An account of the resource The Muslim community of the South Valley Islamic Center (SVIC) in San Martin seeks to build a mosque, community center, and cemetery because their current place of worship, a barn, is insufficient for the growing community. Despite gaining approval from the county Planning Commission, the group withdraws the project in response to a lawsuit filed by opposition groups. When SVIC resubmits the project in 2016, it again faces opposition from the community. The Board of Supervisors finally approves the project in December 2019. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ammarah Ahmed Approved Bias-related Incident Cemetery Community Center Legal Campaign Mosque Public Campaign Under Construction Withdrawn https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/da658e3ff2756938cfbc856e4635b6dc.jpg d0594a7f55ffda37a879d3a685fd772a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Rivard, N. (2012). A model of the proposed Al Madany Islamic Center mosque that would be located at 127 Fillow St. [Online image]. Retrieved October 7, 2019 from https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Proposed-mosque-in-Norwalk-draws-controversy-3462899.php#photo-2783990. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Connecticut Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. CT_02 Location The location of the interview Norwalk, CT Date April 2012 - September 2014 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. A Muslim community in Norwalk, Connecticut planned to build a 27,000 square foot mosque in a residential area of Norwalk (Rivard, 2012). The City of Norwalk held a hearing so Norwalk citizens could voice their opinion on the project as many were worried about increased traffic and disruption in a small neighborhood (Rivard, 2012). The Zoning Commission denied Al-Madany’s application and Al-Madany filed suit on religious discrimination charges. For two years, the case stayed on the docket and because it dealt with arguments of religious discrimination, the Department of Justice chose to step in and investigate the situation as well. As a result of increasing pressure to prevent Norwalk from spending millions on hearing the case as well as input from the DOJ, the two sides finally reached a settlement (Koch, 2012). However, citizens at the next public hearing were still concerned regarding the traffic on the two-lane road. The Common Council ultimately came up with a new settlement in which Al-Madany was paid roughly $1.3 million for dropping their charges and finding a new location for the mosque (Goetz, 2014; Greenwich Free Press, 2014). Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 127 Fillow St, Norwalk, CT 06850 Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. 4H96+59 Norwalk, Connecticut Proposed Project The plan was set for a facility of roughly 27,000 square feet, including a mosque, a school, a place for daily prayer and parking for up to 89 cars. It was estimated that during prayer times, around 1,000 members could potentially be at the mosque (Goetz, 2014; Rivard 2012). Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. <a href="https://almadany.org/">Al-Madany Islamic Center</a> Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Public Campaign; Local Ordinance Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications The project was delayed and the final proposed settlement that the commission approved required the City of Norwalk to pay close to $2 million. Norwalk’s insurer paid Al-Madany $300,000, while the City itself paid Al-Madany about $1 million (Goetz, 2014). The City also spent over half a million dollars to buy the disputed plot of land on Fillow Street and to pay Al-Madany for development expenses, once it found another mosque location (Goetz, 2014). Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. Background on the Case Since the 1970s, the City of Norwalk’s Islamic community has grown larger and larger, to about 100 families in 2012. Muslim members of the community in Norwalk did not have a mosque, so they would worship in one of the congregant’s basement (Rivard, 2012). But by 2012, their community had grown so large that it was necessary that the members find a permanent, spacious location for their worship. They drew up plans to build a 27,000 square foot construction with a mosque, meeting hall, school, and parking lot with 89 spots. They settled on a location in a more residential area of Norwalk, where a little red farmhouse took up a plot of land on 127 Fillow Street (Rivard, 2012). The Muslim Community sent its application in to the Norwalk Zoning Commission in June 2012. The Commission denied the permit after a public hearing in which many Norwalk citizens declared their fervent disagreement with having the mosque in such a residential location (Koch, 2016; Rivard, 2012). The Muslim community then sued the Commission on discrimination charges and violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Key Events April 4, 2012: The City of Norwalk held a public hearing so that community members could air their grievances about the proposed mosque. Most of the neighbors were concerned about traffic, as the road the mosque would be located on is a two lane road. Additionally, the neighbors argued, the traffic would be putting school children at risk near the street. Muslims pray five times per day, so presumably, there would be a higher influx of cars throughout the day, potentially putting pedestrians in danger (Koch, 2012). June 2012: The Zoning Commission denied the Islamic community a permit to build their mosque, and the community filed suit on religious discrimination charges. The Zoning Commission asserted their decision was not religiously motivated (Koch, 2012). December 2012: The City of Norwalk acknowledged that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating the case (Koch, 2012). January 2013-July 2014: The case continued to stay on the docket, with both sides hiring more lawyers and preparing their case. There was increasing pressure to settle because hearing the case would cost the City of Norwalk millions. August 2014: The City of Norwalk and Al-Madany agreed on a proposal, pending approval by the Zoning Commission and Common Council, for a scaled-down mosque that was 22,000 square feet, with 135 parking spaces. The City of Norwalk and its insurer agreed to pay $300,000 to the congregation (CBS Local, 2014). September 4, 2014: At another public hearing in Norwalk with the community and the Zoning Commission and a Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act expert, many citizens still disagreed with the proposal, mostly because of traffic thought to be dangerous and disruptive in a residential neighborhood. Al-Madany had compromised at this point, saying that they would reduce the building mass by 11% by eliminating two floors. They also agreed to cut back the width by 4 feet (CBS Local, 2014). In order to combat the traffic argument, they agreed to hire a police officer to direct traffic during their days of celebration. After the public hearing, the Commission voted in favor of the settlement 4-3. It was the Common Council’s responsibility subsequently to negotiate the monetary terms (Greenwich Free Press, 2014). September 9, 2014: After hearing the complaints of the people at the Town Hall, the Common Council, even though the mosque location and design had been approved by the Zoning Commission, ultimately decided in a 14-0 decision that they would not allow Al-Madany to build on the Fillow Street property. The Islamic Center was paid reparations totaling roughly $1.3 million and the City helped them find a new location (CBS Local, 2014; Goetz, 2014). 2015: Al-Madany bought a plot of land in 2015 that had formerly belonged to the Christ Episcopal Church, who were very welcoming to the Islamic community when they said they wanted to buy the church (Chapman, 2015). The community still worships there today. It has been about 4 years since they moved in. Outcome & Lasting Effects The U.S. Department of Justice has “recommended” that the City of Norwalk and Zoning Committee reopen inquiries into the Zoning Regulations and initiate a Zoning reform to simplify the process for obtaining a special permit by updating criteria. In reality, Norwalk must take these “recommended” actions in order to avoid formal investigation by the DOJ (Koch, 2014). This push for a structural change in Zoning Regulations seems to be a debate that will continue for a number of years and will require multiple public hearings in the future (Koch, 2016a). References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. Local <ul><li>Al-Madany (2018). Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://almadany.org/.</li> <li>CBS Local. (2014, September 9). Norwalk Common Council To Consider Mosque Plan Tuesday. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/09/norwalk-common-council-to-consider-mosque-plan-tuesday/.</li> <li>Chapman, N. (2015, November 12). Al Madany plans to make Union Park church into a mosque. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.nancyonnorwalk.com/2015/11/al-madany-plans-to-make-union-park-church-into-a-mosque/.</li> <li>Koch, R. (2012, December 11). Norwalk officials acknowledge Department of Justice is reviewing mosque denial. The Hour. Retrieved from https://www.thehour.com/norwalk/article/Norwalk-officials-acknowledge-Department-of-8229754.php.</li> <li>Koch, R. (2014, September 27). In wake of mosque battle, Norwalk to explore tougher rules for residential zones. The Hour. Retrieved from https://www.thehour.com/norwalk/article/In-wake-of-mosque-battle-Norwalk-to-explore-8097523.php.</li> <li>Koch, R (2016a, June 11). After mosque battle, city considers changing zoning regulations addressing special permits and places of worship. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.thehour.com/norwalk/article/After-mosque-battle-city-considers-changing-8045732.php.</li> <li>Koch, R. (2016b, June 13). U.S. District Court approves Al Madany settlement. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.thehour.com/norwalk/article/U-S-District-Court-approves-Al-Madany-settlement-8098561.php.</li> <li>(2014, September 5). Norwalk to Get a Mosque: Zoning Commission Votes 4 to 3 in Favor after Charged Public Hearing. Greenwich Free Press. Retrieved from https://greenwichfreepress.com/news/government/norwalk-to-get-a-mosque-zoning-commission-votes-4-to-3-in-favor-after-charged-public-hearing-22297/.</li> </ul>Regional <ul><li>Goetz, K. (2014, September 24). Norwalk settles mosque dispute with more than $2M payout. Retrieved from https://www.wshu.org/post/norwalk-settles-mosque-dispute-more-2m-payout#stream/0.</li> <li>Merriam, D., Seeman, E. (2014, September 18). City, Islamic Group Near Settlement in Mosque Suit; Proposed deal would curtail legal fees, end religious land use case. Retrieved October 3, 2019, from https://www.rluipa-defense.com/2014/09/city-islamic-group-near-settlement-in-mosque-suit-proposed-deal-would-curtail-legal-fees-end-religious-land-use-case.</li> <li>Rivard, N. (2012, April 6). Proposed mosque in Norwalk draws controversy. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Proposed-mosque-in-Norwalk-draws-controversy-3462899.php.</li> </ul> Last Updated Date revised. October 12, 2019 Year Year the case began. 2012 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Norwalk, CT Description An account of the resource A documented account of Case No. CT_02, occurring in Norwalk, CT, from June 2012 to September 2014 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ellen Harnisch DOJ Lawsuit (RLUIPA) https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/93726b18b5903fbbfcc93738358abe4d.png 80e88ef886d930751c8004889edf9ed7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Dick. J and BJ. L (2010). Zoning for Islamic Center in DuPage County Debated. [online image]. Retrieved from Oct. 10th. 2019 from: <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/west-chicago-islam-residential-zoning-98293589.html">https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/west-chicago-islam-residential-zoning-98293589.html</a>. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Illinois Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Il_13 Location The location of the interview DuPage County, IL (West Chicago) Date August 2011-June 2013 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. The Islamic Center of Western Suburbs bought a single-family home in West Chicago in 2008 and transformed it to a prayer space without seeking the government’s legal permits. People complained about the traffic and flooding issues. After the Islamic Center proposed an application for conditional use, it was rejected by DuPage county with a vote of 15 versus 3. The Islamic Center of Western Suburbs filed a lawsuit arguing the decision violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) as well as First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments rights. In June, 2013, DuPage County’s zoning board voted to pass the proposal on a 10-7 vote. Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 28W774 Army Trail Road near West Chicago in DuPpage County, IL 60185 Plus Code Enter the plus code for the location, if it is available. WRV8+M9, Wes Chicago, Illinois Proposed Project The Islamic Center applied for a conditional use permit to convert a 212-square-feet residential property into a prayer space. Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. <a href="https://www.icwsmasjid.org/">Islamic Center of Western Suburbs</a> Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Local Ordinance/Legislation; Lawsuit Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications The project moved forward several years later. The county board passed the proposal finally in June 2013, agreeing that the house could be used for religious purposes. The conditional-use permit was limited to a 5-year term and included a list of conditions. Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. Key Events In 2008, the Islamic Center of Western Suburban bought a house at 28W774 Army Trail Road and used it as a religious institution and food pantry. They made landscape changes in creating parking lots for their worshippers and held prays without applying for legal permits from the county. In 2010, the county board ruled them violating the zoning ordinances for their unpermitted uses of the legal property. The Islamic Center agreed to pay $7,000 in fine. The district’s zoning rules stated that houses for certain non-residential uses should be approved by the county. On August 11th, 2011, the Islamic center submitted a conditional use application. On December 15th, 2011 and January 30th, 2012, public hearings were held, when the local residents raised concerns of flooding and traffic. In March, 2012, the county’s Zoning Panel reviewed the application and suggested to deny the proposal by a 6-1 vote. In April, 2012, the county development committee amended its application by a vote of 3-2. It added the conditions that the Islamic Center had proposed to county development committee and zoning board of appeals into the application. Ultimately, on May 8th, 2012, the county board reviewed the application and denied the approval on a 15-3 vote. Following the denial, the Islamic Center filed a lawsuit against the County of DuPage County in August 2012 for violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) as well as First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The District Court ruled and directed the DuPage County to reconvene the hearings about application and initiate a new vote. On June 26th, 2013, the DuPage Board reviewed the application again and agreed to the request with a 10-7 vote. (Robert, 2013 June. 26th) Along with the approval, a list of conditions, including the one to limit total numbers of visitors to 166 a day and another one to limit the property to less than 30 worshippers in each of its daily prayer, were imposed on the Islamic Center. Background on the local and Muslim communities According to the Chicago Tribune, there were more than 400,000 Muslims in Illinois in 2010 compared to 50,000 Muslims in 1970s. Muslim leaders in Illinois were mostly well-educated and were able to exert influence. For DuPage county, it was not its first time being sued for not granting a conditional-use permit to a Muslim community. The Irshad Learning Center sued DuPage county in 2010 over a planned Islamic education facility near Naperville (see Case No. IL_01). The federal judge overturned the county’s decision and ordered the county board to issue the required permits and to pay the Irshad Learning Center $445,000 (Robert, 2013, June 26th). Details about the proposed project The Islamic center applied for a conditional-use permit to convert a house into a prayer space, allowing Muslims in the community to come and pray five times daily. It proposed to let not more than 30 people be in the 212-square-feet house at a time and to make certain landscapes changes such as parking lots to accommodate those attending prayers (Robert, 2011, Dec. 17th). Details about the conflict as it unfolded The county of DuPage rejected the proposal for several reasons: First, residents were afraid of potential flooding if the house was being used as a prayer place because of the limitations of the original septic system that had been designed for single-family use. In addition, the proposed landscape changes would alter the food plain where residents’ basements had flooded previously. (Mary, 2013. May. 31st). Second, county officials and residents voiced concerns about the impact of the proposed 20-space parking lot on traffic. Neighbors complained that it blocked their drive ways when people attended daily prayers. County officials were also concerned that worshippers would park on the neighboring Pine Court. Third, officials and residents believed that it was an improper use for a house that had been built for residential uses instead of religious purposes. Outcome and Current Status In March 2013, the court directed the county to reconvene hearings about the application according to 2011 zoning standards (Versaci 2013). In June 2013, the DuPage County Board approved the application by a vote of 10 to7 with some added conditions: The conditional-use permit would expire after 5 years. Other conditions included a maximum number of 166 visitors per day, fewer than 30 attendees at any one of the daily prayers, and not holding congregational Friday services or festivities during Ramadan at the site. References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. National: Susan Hogan. (February 1, 2010). Illinois’s Muslims: The population of Islam Followers Here has Grown Substantially. N.P.R. Retrieved from: <a href="https://www.nprillinois.org/post/illinois-muslims-population-islam-followers-here-has-grown-substantially#stream/0">https://www.nprillinois.org/post/illinois-muslims-population-islam-followers-here-has-grown-substantially#stream/0</a> Regional <ul><li>Robert Sanchez. (June 26, 2013). DuPage board OKs Islamic prayer center. Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:58RX-DFW1-JBRC-V0K9-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:58RX-DFW1-JBRC-V0K9-00000-00&context=1516831</a>.</li> <li>Versaci, M. B. (2013, May 31). Proposed West Chicago Islamic Center causes resident worries, legal dispute. West Chicago Press, The (IL). Available from News Bank: Access World News – Historical and Current: <a href="https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/146A7A5CD7C70940">https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/146A7A5CD7C70940</a>.</li> <li>Robert Sanchez. (May 11, 2011). Islamic center resubmits permit. Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:52VF-22X1-JBRC-V0G7-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:52VF-22X1-JBRC-V0G7-00000-00&context=1516831</a>.</li> <li>Robert Sanchez. (December 17, 2011). Plan for mosque near West Chicago starts over. Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:54HJ-S4W1-DY6F-J2B8-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:54HJ-S4W1-DY6F-J2B8-00000-00&context=1516831</a>.</li> </ul>Court filings: Islamic Ctr. of W. Suburbs v. County of Dupage, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 179042, 2012 WL 6605011 (United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division December 18, 2012, Filed). Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:579F-H0W1-F04D-71KR-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:579F-H0W1-F04D-71KR-00000-00&context=1516831</a>. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource DuPage County, IL Description An account of the resource A documented account of Case No. IL_13, occurring in DuPage County, IL, from August 2011 to June 2013 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tina Zhan https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/dacc8d1d9dad312333d88ed031aff811.png b7a34f386b4388837aefafef1f4ae304 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Pashman, M. B. (2019, May 11). Imam Senad Agic, right, seen here on Sept. 16, 2013 [Online image]. Retrieved October 22, 2019 from <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-des-plaines-islamic-center-settlement-met-20170606-story.html">https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-des-plaines-islamic-center-settlement-met-20170606-story.html</a>. https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/d5c51923cbd8cf25670804e59a3e2cb4.jpg 15f691a31e279e6e084ef0cc4c4debc0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Placek, C. (2016). Building at 1645 Birchwood Ave [Online image]. Retrieved October 22, 2019 from https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160131/news/160139836. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Illinois Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Il_15 Location The location of the interview Des Plaines, IL Date September 2013-February 2017 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. In 2013 August, the Des Plaines City Council refused to give the American Islamic Society (AIC, aka Society of American Bosnians & Herzegovinians) approval for its plan to convert an office building to a mosque. The property was originally located in a manufacturing district, which would have required rezoning. The City Council rejected the plan stating potential loss of tax revenue for the city as well as concerns over the project’s impact on traffic. The rezoning denial made it impossible for SABAH to purchase Property on Birchwood Avenue. SABAH felt discriminated against by the city council and sued the city in 2014. AIC’s case failed in the first instance. In 2015 September, the property was sold to a developer. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice intervened on behalf of AIC filing a lawsuit against the City of Des Plaines charging the city’s refusal to rezone violated federal laws. The lawsuit proceeded to trial. The parties settled the case outside of court in June 2017. AIC received $580,000 from the city in the settlement. Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 1645 Birchwood Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018 Proposed Project Conversion of a property originally zoned for manufacturing in Des Plaines to mosque and community center with parking spaces. The property included two buildings with a total area inside of 15,477 square feet . There were two parking lots on the property as well. Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. American Islamic Society (AIC) aka Society of American Bosnians & Herzegovinians (SABHAH) Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Local Ordinance/Legislation Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications Due to denial of their rezoning application, SABAH lost their option to purchase the property on Birchwood Avenue. SABAH sued the city (and where joined by the Department of Justice) in 2015 and received &580,000 when the case was settled in June 2017. Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. The American Islamic Center (AIC) is a Muslim community observing a Sufi approach to Islam. It is a small group made up of about 160 members living in suburban Chicago. They had rented places of worship in the past but desired to build a mosque for themselves. Timeline of Key Events <ul><li>2013: SABAH planned to buy the Birchwood Avenue property and convert it to a mosque. They submitted the rezoning request, but the request was denied by the city council of Des Plaines.</li> <li> March 4, 2014: AIC sued the city of Des Plaines and five members of its city council. AIC failed in this case.</li> <li>September, 2015: The building was sold to a developer. The Department of Justice sued the city of Des Plaines.</li> <li>March, 2017: The case headed to trial. DOJ set a hearing for the trial.</li> <li>June 9, 2017: The case settled. The city of Des Plaines paid the community $580,000 as compensation for their loss.</li> </ul> The community found a vacant former office building. Considering it a suitable place for a mosque in the manufacturing district, they submitted a rezoning request from industrial to institutional use for the property. The structure had two buildings, and the total area inside was 15,477 square feet. The plan called for converting the buildings to a mosque which could accommodate 180 members. The actual building style was left unclear. They group bought the property, waiting for city council’s approval of their rezoning application. However, “the Des Plaines City Council (…) rejected a Bosnian Muslim group's request to allow a religious center in a part of town zoned for manufacturing” (Madhu Krishnamurthy, 2013) The Aldermen’s decision was due to two factors: minimal income loss from taking the property off the tax rolls and potential parking, traffic and other safety concerns due to the size of the congregation (Koop, 2017). Following the denial of the rezoning, on March 4, 2014, AIC sued the city of Des Plaines and five members of its city council. AIC claimed that city of Des Plaines violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) in addition to the U.S. Constitution's Free Exercise Clause and the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. In count 6 and 7, AIC contends that Des Plaines violated the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act (IRFRA) and the Free Exercise Clause of the Illinois Constitution. The result of this case (Am. Islamic Ctr. v. City of Des Plaines, 32 F. Supp. 3d 910) was that all claims against the defendant were denied. One year and a half after the failure of AIC’s suit against Des Plaines, the U.S. Justice Department sued against the city of Des Plaines, claiming that the city council’s decision violated related federal laws, especially the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA),“arguing that officials imposed parking standards and other zoning criteria not used for non-Islamic groups”. At that point, AIC had been without a place of worship. “The Justice Department's lawsuit called for the city to grant approval of the worship center. But the building was sold to a developer in September 2015, and the city later approved property tax incentives for the new owner” (Koop, 2017). Following the intervention of the Justice Department, the Des Plaines city council sought to resolve the case out of court. “City Manager Mike Bartholomew said while it's possible the litigation could drag out for a while, officials believe it's likely to be resolved in 2016 … City officials have said the justice department has taken an ‘unnecessary stance’ and the city is welcoming to all religious faiths” (Placek, 2016). At the same time, the Department of Justice was trying to move the case to a trial. After three months, the Des Plaines city council voted on an agreement with AIC that quickly passed. On June 9, 2017, the City of Des Plaines announced a settlement in the dispute with the Society of American Bosnians and Herzegovinians over the use of the property at 1645 Birchwood Avenue in Des Plaines and agreed to pay the organization $580,000 as compensation. Around the same time, SABAH found a place to worship: a former Lutheran church they converted to a mosque in Franklin Park. References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. <ul><li>Krishnamurthy, M. (2013, June 17). Des Plaines committee rejects rezoning property to allow Islamic center. Daily Herald. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130716/news/707169960">https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130716/news/707169960</a>. </li> <li>Skinner, C. (2015, September 30). Feds sue Des Plaines over religious zoning rejection. McHenry County Blog. Retrieved from <a href="http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2015/09/30/feds-sue-des-plaines-over-religious-zoning-rejection.">http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2015/09/30/feds-sue-des-plaines-over-religious-zoning-rejection.</a></li> <li>Placek, C. (2016, January 31). Could Islamic center suit against Des Plaines be resolved this year? Daily Herald. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160131/news/160139836/">https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160131/news/160139836</a>.</li> <li>Koop, Ch. (2017, March 1). Religious bias suit is headed to trial. Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5N0Y-B7G1-DY6F-J1Y8-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5N0Y-B7G1-DY6F-J1Y8-00000-00&context=1516831</a>.</li> <li>Pashman, M. B. (2017, May 11). Mosque, feds reach settlement with Des Plaines over zoning. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-des-plaines-islamic-center-settlement-met-20170606-story.html">https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-des-plaines-islamic-center-settlement-met-20170606-story.html</a>.</li> <li>Resolution of RLUIPA dispute. (June 7, 2017). US State News. Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5NS4-8P41-JDKC-R0KG-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5NS4-8P41-JDKC-R0KG-00000-00&context=1516831</a>.</li> </ul>Court Filings <ul><li>Soc'y of Am. Bosnians & Herzegovinians v. City of Des Plaines, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26542, 2017 WL 748528 (United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, February 26, 2017, Filed). Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:5MYX-VS91-F04D-70FV-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:5MYX-VS91-F04D-70FV-00000-00&context=1516831</a>.</li> <li>Am. Islamic Ctr. v. City of Des Plaines, 32 F. Supp. 3d 910, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38177 (United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern DivisionMarch 24, 2014, Filed). Retrieved from <a href="https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:5BTM-1VM1-F04D-7114-00000-00&context=1516831">https://advance-lexis-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:5BTM-1VM1-F04D-7114-00000-00&context=1516831</a>.</li> <li>Society of American Bosnians & Herzegovinians v. City of Des Plaines. (2016, September 26). Retrieved from <a href="https://www.becketlaw.org/case/society-american-bosnians-herzegovinians-v-city-des-plaines/?section=caseDetail">https://www.becketlaw.org/case/society-american-bosnians-herzegovinians-v-city-des-plaines/?section=caseDetail</a></li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Des Plaines, IL (SABAH) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Runze Zhou Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Description An account of the resource A documented account of Case No. IL_15, occurring in Des Plaines, IL, 60018 from September 2013 to February 2017. https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/9d0fe206ce7dbfc874a18ce687fbf307.jpg 7fb342f26a9ba59784d7f11e503b8de3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tennessee Case Use this Item Type to create the case Item Pages for the U.S. Mosque Controversies site. Case Number Enter the case number in this field using the format: Case No. XX_00 (e.g. Case No. Ga_01) Case No. Tn_01 Location The location of the interview Murfreesboro, TN Date May 2010-July 2014 Summary Enter a brief description of the case (no more than 600 characters). This should be one or two sentences. After more than thirty years in the community, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM) encounters fierce opposition in 2010 when the county approves ICM’s plans to build a new mosque for its growing congregation. Efforts to thwart the building project include intimidation and threats, incidents of arson and vandalism, public statements by politicians, and a prolonged legal campaign that, among others, advances the claim that the Muslim community did not deserve First Amendment protections because Islam is not a religion. Support for the Muslim community comes from local groups but also includes help on the national level from a broad interfaith coalition. The Department of Justice intervened twice in the legal process on behalf of ICM ensuring that the Muslim community receives the required permits to use its new mosque in time for Ramadan in 2012. Although all pending legal cases are finally dismissed in July 2014 after the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear the opposition’s appeal, ICM continues to experience ongoing harassment and obstruction for projects such as its cemetery adjacent to the mosque. Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 2606 Veals Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37127 Proposed Project Islamic community center (mosque; cemetery; school; swimming pool; gymnasium) Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. <a href="http://www.icmtn.org/">The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro</a> Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance bias-related incident; crimes against property; public speech; public campaign; legal campaign Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro’s construction plans were initially approved, but ICM faced controversy and a long litigatory ordeal where their right to construct a mosque was repeatedly challenged in multiple trials. Following support from the Department of Justice, the mosque was finally granted a certificate of occupancy to reopen, after the local Chancellor attempted to block Rutherford County from granting the mosque one. References Enter list of sources cited using the proper format. <ul> <li>Allyn, Bobby (2012, Jul 30). Mosque opponents file federal motion to stop Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Associated Press (2010, Nov 17). Judge refuses to stop construction of US mosque. Web.</li> <li>Associated Press (2013, Jun 13). Man pleads not guilty to Murfreesboro mosque threats. Web.</li> <li>Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (2012, Aug 8). Murfreesboro Media Information Sheet. Web.</li> <li>Broden, Scott (2010, Jun 21). Mosque expansion proposal in Murfreesboro spotlights fear, shame. The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Broden, Scott (2012, Aug 5). Murfreesboro church’s crosses offer message to Muslims.” The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Broden, Scott (2012, Aug 24). Murfreesboro mosque opponents keep fighting. The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Brown, Robbie and Hauser, Christine (2012, Aug 10). After a Struggle, Mosque Opens in Tennessee. The New York Times. Web.</li> <li>George, Stephen (2010, Sep 9). Opponents of the Murfreesboro mosque say it’s not about religion. Their Muslim neighbors aren’t buying it. Nashville Scene. Web.</li> <li>Gowan, Annie (2010, Aug 23). Nowhere near Ground Zero, but no more welcome; Outcry over mosque proposals in Tennessee and elsewhere could be a sign of rising anti-Muslim sentiment across the country. The Washington Post. Web.</li> <li>Grantham, Christian (2010, Oct 21). Witnesses fund lawsuit against local mosque. The Murfreesboro Post. Web.</li> <li>Echegaray, Chris (2010, Jun 17). Murfreesboro mosque plan ignites backlash. The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Kemph, Marie (2012, Jul 18). UPDATED: Federal judge allows Murfreesboro mosque to reopen. The Murfreesboro Post. Web.</li> <li>Loller, Travis (2012, May 29). Judge stops construction of Tennessee mosque. Associated Press. Web.</li> <li>Loller, Travis (2010, Sep 18). Mosque foes want restraining order – County attorney denies claims in complaint. The Commercial Appeal. Web.</li> <li>McGreal, Chris (2010, Sep 10). Muslims in America increasingly alienated as hatred grows in Bible belt. The Guardian. Web.</li> <li>Nelson, Lauren (2012, Jul 18). Federal judge sides with Tennessee mosque in time for Ramadan. The Los Angeles Times. Web.</li> <li>Pew Research Center (2010, Aug 24). Public Remains Conflicted Over Islam. Web.</li> <li>Rapoport, Abby (2012, Jul 19). Sharia Scare in Tennessee. The American Prospect. Web.</li> <li>Schelzig, Erik (2010, Jul 27). Tenn. Gov hopeful questions if Islam is a ‘cult.’ Associated Press. Web.</li> <li>Smietana, Bob (2011, May 6). Muslims made unwelcome as times toughen. The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Smietana, Bob (2012, Aug 11). Murfreesboro mosque opens after years of controversy. The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Smietana, Bob (2014, Jun 3). Murfreesboro mosque fight laid to rest after Supreme Court ruling. The Tennessean. Web.</li> <li>Stockard, Sam (2010, Nov 23). Mosque lawsuit boils down to dislike of Islam. The Daily News Journal. Web.</li> <li>The Daily News Journal (2010, Jan 21). Editorial: Vandalism a sign of stupidity. Web.</li> <li>The Murfreesboro Post (2012, Jul 2). Judge blocks Murfreesboro mosque from reopening. Web.</li> <li>The Tennessean (2014, Jun 19). Dismissal could end Murfreesboro mosque cemetery case. Web.</li> </ul> Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM) was established in the 1980s for a burgeoning Muslim American community located 35 miles southeast of Nashville, TN. By 2009, they had outgrown their smaller prayer space in southwestern Murfreesboro and purchased 15 acres of land in the eastern section of town. Construction for the new center, which would include a12,000 square-foot mosque, a cemetery, social space, a school as well as a swimming pool and gymnasium, began the following year in 2010. Although the project received unanimous approval from the county’s planning commission, a conservative minority in the community and leaders from ultra-conservative organizations mobilized public opposition against the project. On May 24, 2010, the Rutherford County Planning Commission approved plans for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro to be constructed on Veals Road. However, in the wake of a Rutherford County Commission town hall hosted in June 17, 2010 to accommodate citizens’ concerns about the project, the proposed mosque site was met with fierce dissent from across the nation, as Murfreesboro was thrust into the national spotlight alongside the Park 51 project, a New York City prayer center that opponents deemed to be too close to the site of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. However, the Rutherford County Planning Commission affirmed its approval for the mosque in early August 2010, with construction crews breaking ground on August 20, 2010. Over the next four years ICM was subject to intimidation and threats, incidents of arson and vandalism, public statements by politicians, and a prolonged legal campaign that, among others, advanced the claim that the Muslim community did not deserve First Amendment protections because Islam is not a religion. Opponents included both local groups and leaders from ultra-conservative organizations such as Proclaiming Justice to the Nation. Mobilization in support of the Muslim community included student groups from the Middle Tennessee State University as well as national organizations such as the ACLU and SPLC. The legal campaign against the center started in September 2010 with opponents seeking an injunction in Rutherford County Chancery Court to halt construction. In addition to claiming the county had violated open meeting laws, the lawsuit (10CV-1443) centrally alleged that Islam was not a religion and that the Muslim community therefore was not entitled First Amendment protections—an argument which the attorney for the opposition, Joe Brandon, sought to make repeatedly during the hearing portion of the trial. Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center lists as “one of America’s most notorious Islamophobes,” was called by the opposition as an expert witness. Legal support for ICM came from the Interfaith Committee on Mosques and from the Department of Justice which issued an amicus brief asserting that the U.S. throughout its history had acknowledged that Islam is a religion entitled to constitutional protection. Ultimately, the state court dismissed the opposition’s charges except for the public-notice claim. This allowed opponents to file a subsequent claim. The subsequent lawsuit against the project centered solely on the charge that the county had failed to provide adequate public notice about the mosque. Taking place in the shadow of increased public mobilization in Tennessee around an anti-Sharia bill, the trial ended with the state court finding on May 29, 2012 that the county had failed to offer the public sufficient opportunity for public input. Although the county had followed regular procedure, the court held that the project required a heightened notice requirement and special handling by the county because of the significant concerns it caused among residents. Following his finding, County Judge Robert E. Corlew III ruled that the county could not grant an occupancy permit to the mosque. In response to the requirement that the county withhold the occupancy permit, ICM and the DOJ file to separate lawsuits against the county. With the support of the Becket fund, ICM sued the county for violation of its religious freedom and equal treatment under RLUIPA. More than 100 faith leaders signed an open letter in support of ICM’s religious freedom and equal treatment claims. In a separate lawsuit (United States v. Rutherford County, Tennessee [(M.D. Tenn.]), the DOJ made similar RLUIPA claims against the county and filed a motion for a temporary restraining order, which the court granted the same day. The order enjoined the county to issue a temporary occupancy permit allowing ICM to use its new mosque for the Ramadan celebrations in early August 2012. At the ICM’s grand opening in November 2012, Attorney General Thomas Perez delivered remarks that touched upon the DOJ’s commitment to securing religious freedom rights for Muslim Americans. Despite strong local and national support and although all pending legal cases were finally dismissed in July 2014 after the U.S. Supreme Court had refused to hear the opposition’s appeal, ICM has continued to experience ongoing harassment and obstruction. Year Year the case began. 2010 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Murfreesboro, TN [Islamic Center] Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nabihah Khan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Description An account of the resource After more than thirty years in the community, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM) encounters fierce opposition in 2010 when the county approves ICM’s plans to build a new mosque for its growing congregation. Efforts to thwart the building project include intimidation and threats, incidents of arson and vandalism, public statements by politicians, and a prolonged legal campaign that, among others, advances the claim that the Muslim community did not deserve First Admendment protections because Islam is not a religon. Although all pending legal cases are finally dismissed in July 2014 after the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear the opposition’s appeal, ICM continues to experience ongoing harassment and obstruction for projects such as its cemetery adjacent to the mosque. Approved Bias-related Incident Built Crimes Against Property DOJ Lawsuit (RLUIPA) Legal Campaign Mosque Public Campaign Public Speech