Mosque Back on the Table? Supporters Claim Federal Law Violation in Kennesaw

The Kennesaw City Council’s decision against allowing a mosque to operate within city limits may not be as final as once thought.

Although the proposal was defeated by a 4-1 vote during the council’s Dec. 1 meeting, supporters of the mosque say that the council’s decision was influenced by unfounded fears and biases against Islam and Muslims, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says.

Supporters of the Suffa Dawat Center, which would operate in a shopping center on Jiles Road, have spoken with the U.S. Department of Justice in hopes of having that office intercede on their behalf, the AJC says. Mayor Mark Mathews told the AJC that he felt the decision was made without any sort of anti-Muslim bias in mind, but added that the topic would again be discussed at a Wednesday work session.

An attorney representing the proposed mosque told the AJC that the city’s rejection of the mosque whilst accepting a Christian church inside the same shopping center last year could constitute a violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Similar violations were alleged during mosque expansion controversies in Alpharetta and Lilburn; in those instances, the cities allowed the mosques to expand, the AJC reports.

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