الولايات المتحدة: تأييد قضائي لبناء مسجد مورفيزبرو

- خبر من مصادر إنجليزية.

أكد المستشار "روبرت كورلو الثالث" مجددًا أن المركز الإسلامي بـ"مورفيزبرو" من حقه قانونًا بناء مكان أكبر لممارسة الشعائر الدينية، في تأكيد على الحكم المماثل الصادر في مايو الماضي.

وقال القاضي في حيثيات الحكم: إن المسلمين من حقهم أن يمارسوا شعائرهم أسوة بغيرهم من أتباع المعتقدات الأخرى بـ"الولايات المتحدة" مؤكدًا ضرورة تطبيق القانون بدون تمييز.

إلا أنه لا تزال هناك معارضات محلية رافضة لبناء المسجد والمركز الإسلامي؛ حيث أكد "جو براندون" - ممثل الادعاء - معارضته لحكم القاضي، مُبررًا ذلك بأن القضاء يرى الإسلام دينًا كالمعتقدات الأخرى لكنه ليس بدين،، على حد زعمه. المصدر: شبكة الألوكة.

يرجى الإشارة إلى المصدر عند نقل الخبر - شبكة الألوكة.

الخبر من مصدره الأصلي:

Judge upholds ruling for Murfreesboro mosque

A Rutherford County judge decided to uphold his earlier decision that the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has a right, by law, to build a bigger place of worship.

“Those who are adherents to Islam are entitled to pursue their worship in the United States just as are those who are adherents to more universally established faiths (in our community),” ruled Chancellor Robert Corlew III.

Opponents of the mosque had asked Corlew to reconsider the decision he made in May, which was that the 17 plaintiffs suing Rutherford County government can only challenge whether an open meeting violation occurred over the mosque’s approval.

No trial has been scheduled on whether the county failed to provide sufficient public notice before its Regional Planning Commission met May 24, 2010, to vote on the Islamic center’s plans to construct a 52,960-square-foot community center with a mosque on Veals Road.

“Chancellor Corlew expressed grave concern regarding the notice that was (given) to Rutherford County residents,” said Joe Brandon Jr., who is representing the plaintiffs. “Chancellor Corlew also said that if he found the notice to be insufficient that all permits issued up to this point will be declared void ab initio (from the beginning). We believe victory is certain from the issue of lack of notice. We’re glad that issues are becoming more crystallized to finally bring this case to a conclusion.”

Corlew alluded to the plaintiffs’ complaint that no public hearing on the proposed mosque was offered, but indicated it’s not a matter for the court to decide.

“We have a duty equally to treat those whose religious beliefs are similar to the majority beliefs and to those whose beliefs are very different from the majority,” Corlew wrote. “If the zoning laws are too favorable to those seeking to build places of worship, then citizens should prevail upon their elected representatives to change those ordinances, but until they do the Court must apply those laws equally to Protestant Christians, Roman Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists and others.”

The ruling also recognized that the county’s land use rules are somewhat unusual and need revision.

“Until those laws are modified, however, the duty of the county is to apply those laws without discrimination,” Corlew wrote.

Corlew’s latest ruling reiterated that Islam is a religion. Brandon disagreed with that.

“Chancellor Corlew seems to go on and on that it’s been decided that Islam is a religion, and we take issue with that,” Brandon said. “There’s no proof in this case that Islam is a religion. There is no case law or code that Islam is a religion”.