https://usmc.oxomeka.org/files/original/7b7763df518a6f7f72d25c010806892e.png 9849bcd9cdf5cfab9cc76ef8bcac1cdd 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 Elturk meets with Michigan Muslim leader Dawud Walid, left, Sharon Buttry of the National Conference for Community and Justice, and pastor Roger Facione of Warren's Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Detroit Free Press Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Dan Cortez. Muslim Leader Embraces Challenge Warren Presents. Detroit Free Press. May 9, 2006. 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 Michigan 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. MI_01 Location The location of the interview Warren, MI Year Year the case began. 2006 Address Enter the full address, if it is available. 28630 Ryan Rd, Warren, MI 48092 Proposed Project mosque a former office building (adaptive reuse) Proposed By List the entity (legal entity or community name) that proposed the project. <a href="https://ionamasjid.org/">Islamic Organization of North America</a> Type of Opposition Public Campaign, Vandalism, Legal Action, Local Ordinance Public Campaign, Local Ordinance Outcome Rejected, Approved, Approved with Modifications Approved Narrative Enter the narrative about the case here. 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 <ul> <li>Cortez, D. (2006, March 16). Warren rejects mosque proposal. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved from <a href="https://ionamasjid.org/warren-rejects-mosque-proposal-march-16-2006">https://ionamasjid.org/warren-rejects-mosque-proposal-march-16-2006</a>.</li> <li>Cortez, D. (2006, April 11). Warren board approves mosque plan. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved from <a href="https://ionamasjid.org/warren-board-approves-mosque-plan-april-11-2006">https://ionamasjid.org/warren-board-approves-mosque-plan-april-11-2006</a>.</li> <li>Cortez, D. (2006, April 12). Mosque exposes fears in Warren. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved from <a href="https://ionamasjid.org/mosque-exposes-fears-in-warren-april-12-2006/">https://ionamasjid.org/mosque-exposes-fears-in-warren-april-12-2006</a>.</li> <li>Islamic Organization of North America [IONA]. (2021, February 23). Imam Steve Mustapha Elturk recipient of IFLC Interfaith Leader Award [Press Release]. <a href="https://ionamasjid.org/imam-steve-mustapha-elturk-recipient-of-iflc-interfaith-leader-award-february-23-2021/#:~:text=Imam%20Steve%20Mustapha%20Elturk%20Re">Web</a>.</li> <li>Krupa, G. (2006, June 8). Mosque raises interfaith issues. The Detroit News. Retrieved from <a href="https://ionaonline.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=307:mosque-raises-interfaith-issues-june-8-2006&catid=60:iona-in-the-news&Itemid=258">https://ionaonline.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=307:mosque-raises-interfaith-issues-june-8-2006&catid=60:iona-in-the-news&Itemid=258</a>.</li> <li>Krupa, G. (2007, May 24). Joint resolve gets mosque open: Multifaith effort pushed project past obstacles. The Detroit News. Retrieved from <a href="https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB4F3D1A01B2A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F11955E82939CEB78">NewsBank</a>.</li> <li>Macomb, J. (2010, May 17). Warren mosque looking to expand. Macomb Daily. Retrieved from <a href="https://ionamasjid.org/warren-mosque-looking-to-expand-may-16-2010/">https://ionamasjid.org/warren-mosque-looking-to-expand-may-16-2010</a>.</li> <li>Stolarz, C. (2006, Apr 12). Warren approves plan for the city's first mosque. The Detroit News, p.04B. Retrieved from <a href="https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB4F3D1A01B2A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F110F9853E00C0A60">NewsBank</a>.</li> <li>Stolarz, C. (2006, Apr 26). Mosque plan spurs effort to reach out: Warren project sparks worry, underscores need for dialogue about faith, Muslim leader says. The Detroit News: MI. Retrieved from <a href="https://infoweb-newsbank-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB4F3D1A01B2A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1113FC8EF02A7D78">NewsBank</a>.</li> <li>Warikoo, N. (2022, September 15). Megachurch now a mosque as number of Islamic centers grows in Michigan. Detroit Free Press. <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/09/15/number-of-mosques-grows-in-michigan-as-church-becomes-islamic-center/65926143007/">Web</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/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Helia Hamidi, Matson Holmgren, Partha Jain, and Amina Malone Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oxford College of Emory University Title A name given to the resource Warren, MI Description An account of the resource 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. Adaptive Reuse Approved (initial denial) Bias-related Incident Built DOJ Mosque Planning and Zoning Public Campaign REL230_SP24