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 This collection is more comprehensive than other compilations of cemetery cases, which cover a limited timeframe, are no longer current, or need to be updated (e.g., Pew Research Center 2012, Younes 2017, ACLU 2017, New America 2018, HuffPost 2024).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