Hamtramck — Two proposals to build mosques are raising tensions here as Muslims seek to raise their political influence in this culturally diverse community.

One group, the Al-Islah Islamic Center, now headquartered in a 3,000-square-foot space on Caniff, wants to relocate to a remodeled two-story, 20,000-square-foot building in the city's central business district at Jos. Campau and Caniff.

Already approved for a zoning permit, the group has run into resistance from the city's zoning board over its proposed remodeling of the building.

A second group, the Abu Bakr Al-Siddique Islamic Center, is expected to face the city's planning commission on Wednesday to seek approval to convert a building in the city's industrial zone on the northeast corner of St. Aubin and Faber into a mosque.

Supporters of the Al-Islah project packed a recent zoning board meeting to urge approval of the relocation plan. Some said they suspected the city's resistance springs from anti-Muslim sentiment. "This is more than glass and parking spaces, this is Islamaphobia," activist and resident Bill Meyer said.

Masud Khan, who serves on Al-Islah's board as secretary, said city officials seem to be driven by the old guard of predominantly Polish constituents. "This town is mostly Polish people; they feel like this is threatening their comfort zone," Khan said.

Opponents of the Al-Islah relocation, however, say they are not anti-Muslim, but rather are concerned about traffic, lack of parking and the rapid proliferation of Islamic worship centers in the core city.

The zoning board on Wednesday voted 4-2 to deny three variance requests from Al-Islah related to the amount of windows in the building's storefront and the location of parking spaces. The two dissenting votes came from two of the panel's three Muslim members. A third Muslim commissioner, Mohamed Hussain, removed himself from considering the matter because he is a member of Al-Islah and did not want the perception that the group unfairly benefited from his influence.

Supporters of the project pleaded with the board to reconsider plans, saying the building's proposed design fits in with the aesthetic tastes of the city's burgeoning Muslim community.

Detoit News, 10 February 2013

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The Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf announced that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, issued an order to start the process of a major expansion of the Mosque of Prophet Mohammad ‘’Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi’’ in El- Medina.

This expansion will provide a great service for the visitors of the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him).

The order of expansion is considered an extension of his commitment and efforts in serving Islam and Muslims around the world.  The king’s most recent great effort was the implementation of the largest expansion in the history of the Grand Mosque ‘’Al-Masjid Al-Haram ‘’ in Mecca.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf explained that the order of the King to expand Al-Haram will be implemented on three different phases. The first phase will allow the Mosque to accommodate around more 800 thousand worshipers; in the second and the third phase the expansion will include the eastern and western sides of the Mosque to accommodate an additional 800 thousand worshipers. This makes a total accommodation of more 1.6 Million worshipers.

He added that the expansion comes in addition to other projects ordered by the Custodian in order to make it easier for pilgrims and Umrah performers and visitors to the Mosque of the Messenger (peace be upon him), including the current expansion of Al-Masjid Al-Haram and the Jamarat Bridge and the train of the Two Holy Mosques, the Gate of Mecca “The International Airport of King Abdul Aziz in Jeddah.”

Moving to what the international officials said about this order of expansion, we would find that Dr. Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf countries was among the first to show his pleasure with such an order, he supported the implementation of the enlargement in the Holy Mosque. He also considered this order a clear proof and evidence of the great care from the King in servicing the pilgrims and Umrah pilgrims, visitors and worshipers.

Also the president of the affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz al-Sudais, the efforts of Saudi Arabia’s King, following the issuance of his command to expand the Prophet’s Mosque, saying, this initiative is a solution for the crowd, which is a great issue in both Holy Mosques.

On the practical side, Engineer Farouk Elias a city planner and developer said that the expansion ordered by King Abdullah will be sufficient on the medium-term and according to the current circumstances we will not need to have any other expansion for over 20 years at least.

Finally, according to the latest consensus, the number of the visitors to El-Medina is the same as for Mecca, which are almost about ten million visitor per year, while the capacity of the Prophet Mosque – in its current state – is almost 650 thousand worshipers, while in Mecca the capacity is more than a million and a quarter of a million worshipers.

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In court filings this week, United States Department of Justice attorneys conclude the city of Alpharetta may have discriminated against a mosque by denying its plans to expand.

The Islamic Center of North Fulton wants to tear down its existing facility to build a much larger one on its Rucker Road property.

"They're in a very inadequate facility," attorney Doug Dillard told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik. "They don't have adequate facilities for them to bathe properly before they worship, to pray properly, for them to listen to the imam."

In 2010, the city voted down the center's plans, in part, because of a supposed agreement the center made with neighbors never to expand beyond its current facility. In January, U.S. District Judge Owen Forrester ruled he found no such agreement ever existed but still sided with the city, ruling the mosque didn't show the denial put a substantial burden on its members.

On Tuesday, DOJ attorneys filed a "friend of the court" brief, calling into question Forrester's decision. "The district court applied an erroneous legal standard in granting the city's summary judgment motion," the brief said. "The court should have asked instead whether the denial of the permit ... actually and substantially inhibits the center's religious exercise, rather than merely inconveniencing it."

Attorneys also wrote that the evidence suggests the city discriminated against the mosque. "The fact that the city's own community development staff found that the proposed mosque will have no greater effect on the surrounding area than many churches located nearby ... is sufficient to raise a reasonable inference of discrimination," the brief said.

WSB Atlanta, 14 June 2012

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