| Mayfield board to reconsider denial of permit for mosque |
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| Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 4:28 pm | |
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This story first appeared in the Courier-Journal on October 12th. Written by Peter Smith
The Mayfield Board of Zoning Adjustments will hold a new public hearing on a proposed mosque after deciding Tuesday morning to set aside its previous denial of the permit request. That vote drew applause from an overflow crowd, and it reversed one made two weeks earlier to approve it. In its Aug. 24 denial, the board cited concerns about limited parking and building capacity. The board and other city officials heard opposition to the proposal from critics of Islam at the Aug. 24 hearing and in correspondence. It also drew criticism from throughout the country after denying the mosque, according to e-mail correspondence obtained by The Courier-Journal in an open-records request. The mosque was sought by Ahmed on behalf of Somalis who had recently moved to Graves County to work in a chicken-processing plant. The ACLU said in a letter to the Mayfield board that it had allowed two churches similar permits in the same zoning district, that the denial involved procedural "defects" and that it violated legal protections for freedom to worship. Hopkinsville attorney William G. Deatherage Jr., who represented Ahmed in cooperation with the ACLU, said he was glad the board decided to reconsider its denial and hopes it reverts to its original approval of the permit. "They did the right thing the first time," he said. Although Tuesday's meeting was not a public hearing, Deatherage said some people attended who supported the mosque, and others wore T-shirts suggesting opposition. The issue arose as objections to mosques have risen nationwide — particularly over one two blocks from Ground Zero in New York. In Tennessee, the proposed Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has experienced arson damage to construction equipment and drawn a lawsuit that argues the planned mosque is not a house of worship. Attorney Joe Brandon Jr. recently argued on behalf of plaintiffs, that the mosque would instead be a base for the "pure sedition" of establishing Islamic religious law to replace the U.S. Constitution, the Tennessean of Nashville reported. Muslims and their supporters dismiss such claims and say they are entitled the same freedoms as other religious groups. |
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