Mosque To Be Built In Bensalem As Township Settles Lawsuit

BENSALEM, PA — The Justice Department and Bensalem Township have reached an agreement to resolve allegations that the township violated the law when it denied zoning approval for a mosque two years ago. As part of the agreement, the Bensalem Masjid will be permitted to build the mosque on Hulmeville Road.

The Bensalem Masjid sought to build a mosque on three adjoining parcels of land, but the application was denied by the Zoning Hearing Board after several public hearings in 2014.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the township in July 2016.

The complaint alleged that the Bensalem Township’s denial of a variance imposed a "substantial burden on the Bensalem Masjid’s religious exercise, treated the Bensalem Masjid less favorably than the township treated nonreligious assemblies and discriminated against the Bensalem Masjid on the basis of religion," according to the Justice Department.

The lawsuit also alleged that the township placed "unreasonable limitations" on religious assemblies generally through its land use regulations.

The Township has also agreed to review and amend its zoning ordinance to comply with the requirements of Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA). Additionally, the Township has agreed that it will advise its officials and employees about the requirements of RLUIPA, among other remedial measures.

“Federal law protects the rights of all religious communities to build places of worship free from discrimination,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement ensures that all citizens of Bensalem Township may freely exercise this important civil right."

A separate agreement resolving a similar lawsuit brought by the Bensalem Masjid against Bensalem Township has also been reached, according to information from the Justice Department.

PHOTO: Flickr, mrehan