Muslims sue US town for denying mosque permit

A group of Muslims are suing a town in the American state of Michigan for denying them a permit to build a mosque, after revelations the decision was influenced by concerns over terrorism.

Officials in Sterling Heights unanimously voted to refuse permission for the mosque project last year, saying they feared a heavy increase in traffic if the mosque was built.

However, email correspondence between city officials reveals that two residents had contacted Mayor Michael Taylor and city planner Donald Mende urging them to vet the Muslim community leaders behind the project for possible terror connections.

City officials, including the police chief, surprisingly indulged the two residents and contacted the FBI to check whether community leaders applying for a building permit were "on their radar".

"With a vociferous and racist member of the Planning Commission leading the charge, the Planning Commission voted to reject the site plan," said the lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Detroit on Wednesday.

"With no other choice, the American Islamic Community Centre has filed this suit seeking equitable relief to build the mosque and seeks damages as the City of Sterling Heights' conduct violates, among other things, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalised Persons Act…and the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution."

The Department of Justice and US Attorney's Office have been conducting an independent investigation, and that investigation is ongoing.

Mayor Taylor denied that the police chief or the city planner had committed any wrongdoing, yet acknowledged that petitioners wanting to build a house of worship in Sterling Heights or anywhere in the US should not undergo a security check.

Mohammed Abdrabboh, a lawyer on the legal team suing the city said: "You have to have some type of evidence under our criminal justice system in order to investigate somebody."

"Unfortunately in the climate that we're in, people throw the 'terrorist' word around very loosely. It is the ugliest word in the lexicon of the American language today. It tarnishes people's reputation. It leaves a stain on innocent people that they sometimes can never shake."

Local activist Asha Noor was outraged at the email revelations.

"Does that happen with a church? Does that happen with a synagogue? Does that happen with Buddhist and Hindu temples?" she told to Arab American News.

"That is outrageous. This is clearly an attempt by the city to ensure that Muslims are not given their constitutional right to assemble and to have a place of worship."

US Attorney Barbara McQuade said on Wednesday: "The Department of Justice and US Attorney's Office have been conducting an independent investigation, and that investigation is ongoing."