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The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing a decision by the Newton County Commission to issue a five-week moratorium on new places of worship after community opposition to a proposed mosque.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations asked for the review saying a request to build a Protestant church would not have prompted the same response from the county.
“They say temporary. But whether it lasts for five days or five weeks, that’s irrelevant because the moratorium is unconstitutional,” says CAIR-GA Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell.
Hundreds packed the historic Newton County courthouse Monday night to voice their concerns for the proposed mosque and cemetery on 135 acres on Ga. 162. It was purchased in June 2015 by Al Maad Al Islami, a Doraville mosque, when it also received a county permit for a place of worship.
Among the concerns voiced by residents this week were fears over terrorism and that it could become an al-Qaida training camp.
Mosque leaders opened their doors in Doraville Tuesday to meet with area churches and community leaders hoping to allay any fears. CAIR-GA also plans to hold an “Islam 101” public meeting with Newton County residents next week in an effort to educate the public.
Mitchell says the mosque is willing to work with the community, even offering to give up part of the land for a church to be built if it will mean better relations with its neighbors.
Just because the DOJ has agreed to review the case doesn’t mean it will launch a full investigation. Mitchell hopes the county will lift the moratorium before it gets that far.
“We hope that the Newton County commissioners will come to their senses before there is any need for outside intervention,” he says.
The county’s attorney says the moratorium is to simply give the commission time to review its ordinances and that it acted in its Constitutional and statutory authority.
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