Source: Associated Press
BAYONNE, N.J. (AP) — Federal law enforcement officials are investigating a New Jersey city that prevented a Muslim group from building a mosque, a rejection that the group said was motivated by religious hatred.
Matthew Reilly, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey, confirmed that it is investigating after Bayonne rejected the mosque’s application. The Department of Justice on Tuesday unveiled a $3.25 million settlement between a different New Jersey town and an Islamic group — a deal that requires the town to allow a mosque to be built after a similar zoning dispute.
The Bayonne Muslims filed a federal lawsuit against the city and its zoning board last week arguing that their two-year effort to convert an abandoned warehouse into a mosque and community center was met by virulent attacks against their religion and then unfairly voted down by a zoning board.
The zoning board in the working-class city across the harbor from New York City voted 4-3 in favor of the mosque proposal in March, but it needed a minimum of five votes to pass. Those who voted against it cited parking and traffic concerns, although the Bayonne Muslims say that the building is located in an uncongested part of the city with ample parking.
Categories: America, Mosque, The Muslim Times, USA