Tenn. mosque won't open in time for Ramadan
URFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Local Muslims who scored a victory with a federal judge's ruling that cleared the way for a controversial mosque to open will not be able to worship in the facility in time for the start of Ramadan at sundown Thursday.
Erik Schelzig, AP
Rutherford County Building Codes Director David Jones said Thursday final inspection of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's new mosque remains "preliminary" and could be at least two weeks away.
The ICM still has exterior work to do, including installation of septic facilities, and must obtain inspections and approval from entities such as the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the state fire marshal and Consolidated Utility District, as well as a final inspection by county building codes, according to Jones.
The Wednesday ruling by U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell gave the mosque's leaders the right to complete its inspection process, thus reversing Rutherford County's June injunction, which contended that county officials did not adequately notify the public about the mosque's construction.
Since mosque construction began in 2010, the building has been at the center of a dispute over whether the public was adequately notified about the site's construction. However, opponents made clear in court hearings that they also opposed the practice of Islam.
Attorney Luke Goodrich with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the mosque in the suit, called the judge's ruling a victory for people of all faiths.
But opponents objected to what they called a lack of notice about Wednesday's court actions.
Attorney Joe Brandon, who is representing a group of Rutherford County residents opposed to mosque construction but not involved in Wednesday's suit, said he's not surprised that the U.S. attorney got involved.
"You don't throw a lawsuit like this together overnight," he said. "So, clearly, it's something they've been planning for some time."
Brandon said Rutherford County residents were "circumvented."
"We've been involved in this thing from day one, but I'm sure they'd rather have it with no opposition," Brandon said.
Wednesday's decision affirmed that indeed proper public notice was granted, contrary to the chancery court decision, which submitted that the mosque should be subjected to "heightened legal standard" because of the "tremendous public interest" surrounding the mosque.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was suing Rutherford County, claiming violations of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.
"Our nation was founded on bedrock principles of religious liberty. The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce civil rights laws that protect religious freedom," said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, said in a media release. "When a faith community follows the rules, as the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has done in seeking to construct its place of worship, it is impermissible to change the rules in a discriminatory way that prevents people of faith from exercising their fundamental right to worship."
The act cited in the government's suit prohibits religious discrimination in land use and zoning decisions.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/s ... csp=34news
