Muslim group’s application for private school rejected in Mich., asks Feds to investigate
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR MI) has written a letter to the U.S.
Jul 31, 20202K Shares2M Views
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR MI) has written a letterto the U.S. Department of Justice asking for an investigation into whether Pittsfield Township violated the First Amendment rights by rejecting a Muslim group’s application to build a Muslim private school.
The Michigan Islamic Academy applied to have a piece of property they own rezoned so they could build a Muslim school on the property and the Pittsfield Township Planning Commission rejected that request. The letter alleges that opponents of the rezoning made “derogatory comments … regarding the religious practice of Muslims” along with their concerns about traffic and neighborhood harmony.
CAIR-MI Executive Direcor Dawud Walid asked the DOJ to monitor a planning commission meeting on Aug. 4, when they are expected to formally reject the request for rezoning. Walid says that a final rejection may violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLIUPA).
RLUIPA requires that local zoning boards grant exceptions for religious organizations unless they can demonstrate that their refusal serves a compelling governmental interest. Even if the DOJ does not monitor or investigate, the law gives the MIA standing to file a court challenge to the rejection of their application.
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