Sunday, September 19, 2010

Lawsuit Challenges Approval of Controversial Tennessee Islamic Center Plans

The Tennessean reports that a lawsuit was filed Thursday in Rutherford County (TN) Chancery Court seeking a temporary restraining order to halt construction of a controversial Islamic center being build in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The suit claims that the county failed to give adequate advance notice under its Open Meetings Act of a May 24 Regional Planning Commission meeting at which the site plan for the Islamic center was approved unanimously. The complaint also claims that the county's zoning law denied plaintiffs due process by failing "to provide a hearing to examine the multiple uses of the ICM site and the risk of actions promoting Jihad and terrorism." (See prior related posting.) Murfreesboro's mayor says he believes the suit has no merit.