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"The law protects people of all
religions from discrimination or
unnecessary obstacles when they seek
to build a place of worship," said
U.S. Attorney Barbara 1. McQuade
ofthe Eastern District of Michigan.
"Thanks to this settlement, the AICC
will be able to build a mosque where
its members can gather for religious
and community events. I grew up in
Sterling Heights, and I am proud
that the city is taking steps to
protect the religious rights ofall
of its residents." (Photo by HB
Meeks/Tell Us USA News) |
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Sterling
Heights
settles
with
American
Islamic
Community
Center
over new
Mosque
By
Wendell
Bryant/Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det)
-The
Justice
Department
today
announced
a
settlement
with the
city of
Sterling
Heights,
Michigan
to
resolve
allegations
that the
city
violated
the
Religious
Land Use
and
Institutionalized
Persons
Act of
2000
(RLUIPA)
in
denying
approval
to allow
the
American
Islamic
Community
Center,
Inc.
(AICC)
to build
a mosque
in the
city.
Sterling
Heights
City
Council
voted
late
Tuesday
to
accept
the
settlements,
including
one in a
lawsuit
brought
in
December
by the
U.S.
Attorney's
office.
The
mosque
project
will
proceed,
but a
final
site
plan
still
needs to
be
approved.
The
United
States
alleged
that
Sterling
Heights
discriminated
against
the AICC
on the
basis of
religion
when it
denied
the
application
to build
a
mosque.
It
further
alleged
that the
denial
imposed
a
substantial
burden
on the
AICC's
religious
exercise.
The
AICC,
currently
located
in
Madison
Heights,
Michigan,
sought
to build
in
Sterling
Heights
because
the
location
is more
convenient
for its
members
and its
current
space
has
become
inadequate
for its
religious,
educational
and
social
needs.
Despite
racial
epithets
being
hurled
by some
of the
nearly
200
people
at the
meeting
Tuesday
night,
council
members
stressed
that the
settlement
keeps
Sterling
Heights
out of
costly
litigation
and
allowed
officials
more say
in the
mosque’s
layout.
“We have
reduced
our
financial
risk and
we’ve
been
able to
have
input on
what the
actual
development
is going
to
contain,”
Councilman
Doug
Skrzyniarz
told the
audience.
"We
welcome
the
settlement
reached
by
Sterling
Heights
and the
DOJ
regarding
the
previously-blocked
mosque
project,"
said
CAIR-MI
Executive
Director
Dawud
Walid.
"We hope
that
this
settlement,
along
with
last
year's
settlement
in
Pittsfield
Township
regarding
a
previously
blocked
Islamic
school
project,
sends a
strong
message
to city
governments
in
Michigan
seeking
to deny
zoning
of
religious
institutions
simply
because
they are
led by
Muslims."
"Federal
law
protects
the
right of
faith
communities
to build
places
of
worship
without
discrimination
or
unreasonable
burdens
on their
religious
exercise,"
said
Acting
Assistant
Attorney
General
Tom
Wheeler
of the
Justice
Department's
Civil
Rights
Division.
"We
commend
the city
of
Sterling
Heights
for
agreeing
to
approve
the
AICC's
mosque,
so that
it can
serve
its
members
and
contribute
to the
surrounding
community."
"The law
protects
people
of all
religions
from
discrimination
or
unnecessary
obstacles
when
they
seek to
build a
place of
worship,"
said
U.S.
Attorney
Barbara
1.
McQuade
of the
Eastern
District
of
Michigan.
"Thanks
to this
settlement,
the AICC
will be
able to
build a
mosque
where
its
members
can
gather
for
religious
and
community
events.
I grew
up in
Sterling
Heights,
and I am
proud
that the
city is
taking
steps to
protect
the
religious
rights
ofall of
its
residents."
The case
was
handled
by the
department's
Civil
Rights
Division
and the
U.S.
Attorney's
Office
of the
Eastern
District
of
Michigan.
RLUIPA,
enacted
in 2000,
prohibits
religious
discrimination
and
protects
against
unjustified
burdens
on
religious
exercise
in,
among
other
things,
land use
and
zoning
decisions.'
People
who
believe
they
were
subjected
to
religious
discrimination
in land
use or
zoning
may
contact
the
Housing
and
Civil
Enforcement
Section
at
1-800-896-7743
or the
U.S.
Attorney's
Office
of the
Eastern
District
of
Michigan's
Civil
Rights
Hotline
at (313)
226-9151
or
usarnie.civilrights@usdoj.gov.
More
information
about
RLUIPA,
including
a report
on the
department's
enforcement,
may be
found at
www.justice.gov/crtireligious-land-use-and-institutionalized-persons-act
.
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