Warren, MI

Elturk-meets-with-Michigan-Muslim-leader-Dawud-Walid.png

Description

In 2006, the Warren Planning Commission rejected a proposal for a mosque in Warren, Michigan, citing concerns about traffic and noise disruptions. Imam Steve Elturk, who had faced previous rejections in other locations, confronted bias allegations. A Department of Justice mediator intervened amid suspicions of Islamophobia. After a contentious process and outreach efforts, the proposal was eventually approved in April 2006, and the mosque opened in May 2007. Despite initial resistance, the mosque's establishment led to community cohesion efforts and Elturk receiving recognition for interfaith leadership. Warren's Muslim community has since grown, with multiple mosques now serving the area.

Creator

Helia Hamidi, Matson Holmgren, Partha Jain, and Amina Malone

Year

2006

Proposed Project

mosque a former office building (adaptive reuse)

Outcome

Approved

Narrative

The case involved the rejection of a planned mosque in Warren, Michigan, by the town’s Planning Commission. On March 13, 2006, community member Imam Steve Elturk proposed to the Warren Planning Committee to establish a mosque in a former office building purchased by Elturk and the Islamic Organization of North America in August 2005. The proposition was rejected by the Commission on a vote of 6-3, citing concerns about the additional traffic that people parking to attend services may cause and that the call to prayer being broadcast outside will disrupt the neighborhood.

It was not Elturk’s first attempt at building a mosque, as he had first tried to locate it in Hazel Park, but the city would not rezone it to accommodate him. He eventually settled on the lot found in Warren, believing the location to be perfect for serving Muslims in a 10–12-mile radius. The location had 87 parking spaces and was in a commercial area. Elturk responded to the Commission’s concerns that the Zoning Board had already cleared his proposal with the agreed-upon stipulation that the Muslim community could not place loudspeakers outside for the call to prayer. Elturk cited this and the previous rejection of Hazel Park as evidence of bias and decided to threaten litigation (Cortez, 2006, Mar 16).

The issue over amplifying the call to prayer was raised again on April 11 with an addendum specifically addressing the loudspeaker concerns (Stolarz, 2006, Apr 12), though there was an attempt to table the resolution the previous Monday. The meeting hall was filled with many people, both for and against the proposal. It included derogatory comments alleging a connection between the Islamic Organization of North America and terrorist cells. Also present was a mediator from the US Department of Justice, dispatched to ensure the civil rights of Elturk were being respected (Cortez, 2006, Apr 12). The initial vote was 4-4. However, a subsequent re-vote resulted in a vote of 5-3 in favor of the proposition (Cortez, 2006, Apr 11). The mosque opened on May 25th, 2007 (Krupa, 2007, May 24).

While some raised suspicions that the rejections of the plan were Islamophobic in nature, such as Elturk or Dawud Walid, executive director for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the members of the board maintained that the only issues they had with the project were logistical (Cortez, 2006, Mar 16). At the second convention to discuss the issue, however, many noted the use of Islamophobic statements and tropes throughout the speeches of both councilmembers and Warren residents, including one in which Commissioner Daniels asked about possible human or animal sacrifices that may take place on the premises. This statement and many others like it caused the Department of Justice to announce it would be reviewing the tapes of the meeting (Cortez, 2006, Apr 12).

In response to this outcry, Elturk announced that the mosque would hold outreach programs to assuage concerns in the local community and answer any questions they may have regarding the mosque and Islam (Stolarz, 2006, Apr 25). The mosque continued with its outreach programs into the general community, such as with its “Meet your Neighbors” symposiums, where events were held between the members of different religious communities to foster a greater sense of cohesion within the different faith groups of Warren (Krupa, 2006, Jun 8). This did not quell all anxieties from non-Muslim members, attested to by a series of vandalism attacks on the location of the prospective mosque and a drunk accostment of Imam Elturk.

The mosque opened on May 25, 2007 (Krupa, 2007, May 24). Elturk attributed the mosque proposal's ultimate success to collaboration between the Muslim community and groups of other faiths. On February 22, 2021, he was honored for his work on with the IFLC Interfaith Leader Award (IONA, 2021, Feb 23). Since the establishment of the city’s first mosque, Warren has had a flourishing and diverse Muslim community that has only gotten bigger, with the original mosque established by Elturk having to expand due to increased demand and numbers in the community. Initially, Elturk wanted to expand into neighboring land, but the owners were asking for too much money, so Elturk was forced to look elsewhere (Macomb, 2010, May 17). As of 2022, roughly a dozen mosques are situated in Warren (Warikoo, 2022, Sep 15).

References

Collection

Michigan

Citation

Helia Hamidi, Matson Holmgren, Partha Jain, and Amina Malone, “Warren, MI,” U.S. Mosques and Cemeteries, accessed November 22, 2024, https://usmc.oxomeka.org/items/show/94.

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