National Muslim group denounces ‘hateful’ comments against Lake Norman mosque
A national Muslim civil rights group Tuesday denounced “hateful, conspiratorial and dangerous” comments made against a Lake Norman mosque by residents at Monday’s Mooresville town board meeting.
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A group of residents spoke against the mosque during the public comments section of the meeting. Nothing about the mosque that’s under construction by the Mooresville-based Islamic Center of Lake Norman was on the agenda.
Founded in 2011, the Islamic Center of Lake Norman outgrew its current site and recently bought, got approval for and began building a new house of worship, according to the North Carolina office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Opponents organized under a “Mooresville United” Facebook group and denounced the mosque and Islam to the town board, according to the council.
According to a town recording of the meeting on YouTube, speakers called Islam an “evil ideology” and said “no to Sharia Law and this Muslim center.”
Speakers asked if “women and girls [are] at risk” and labeled Islam “a political regime with the ultimate goal of takeover [of] regions and nations.”
The council issued a news release with a statement by Al Rieder, its North Carolina regional manager, that said:
“The hateful and conspiratorial anti-Muslim rhetoric spewed at the recent meeting in Mooresville raises concerns about the safety of the broader community. Not only does such ill-informed and easily-refuted tropes perpetuate hate against the world’s second-largest religion, but it puts local mosques further at risk by potentially emboldening bad actors to commit threats and violent acts of hate.”
Rieder cited what he called recent credible threats of violence against mosques in Raleigh and Wilmington.
“We also cannot forget the deadly mass shooting at a San Diego mosque,” Rieder said. “We as a community must all do our part to put an end to the rise in anti-Islam, and anti-Muslim rhetoric, or we could risk our state being host to yet another statistic of violent crimes against the Muslim community.”
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Late Monday, the town of Mooresville communications office issued a statement on behalf of the Town Board regarding the mosque. The statement made no mention of anti-Muslim remarks at the meeting.
“The Town of Mooresville Board of Commissioners recognizes that the proposed Islamic Center has generated significant public interest, and we appreciate the residents who have respectfully shared their questions, concerns, and perspectives,” according to the town statement.
The statement offered information about the project, including that the property is zoned community commercial, “where religious assembly is a permitted, by-right use under the Town’s Unified Development Ordinance. Religious use has been permitted on the property since it was annexed into the town limits in 1998.”
The site has “unique topographical conditions that naturally limit its development potential,” the town statement stated.
“The proposed site plan includes 52 parking spaces and two buildings: a 2,691-square-foot prayer hall and a 2,235-square-foot kitchen and office building,” according to the statement. “The total occupiable space is 4,926 square feet.”
Four retaining walls are being built “to create the buildable area for the buildings.” officials said.
“As elected officials, it is our responsibility to ensure that the Town’s ordinances and applicable state and federal laws are applied fairly, consistently, and without preference,” according to the statement. “Every property owner and applicant is subject to the same review process and the same application of the Town’s adopted regulations.
“The Board remains committed to transparency, professionalism, and the rule of law,” the statement said. “All decisions must be based on adopted ordinances, objective standards, and legal requirements, which do not allow for different rules for different religious groups.”
Further, the town statement encouraged “all members of our community to remain respectful in their discussions and interactions as this project moves through the appropriate processes.”
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