The Islamic Society of Tulsa has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and four city council members, alleging religious discrimination after local officials denied its request to build a mosque and an Islamic community center.
According to the complaint, the Islamic Society purchased approximately 15 acres in Broken Arrow in 2014 for a mosque, community center, and commercial development. Both city planning staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval, but the City Council voted 4-1 in January to reject the rezoning request and conditional use permit.
The lawsuit alleges that the council’s decision followed opposition from residents and local politicians and claims the city approved comparable projects for Christian churches and commercial developments while allowing those applicants to resolve traffic and engineering issues after approval. The Islamic Society is seeking a court order allowing the project to proceed, a declaration that the city’s actions were unlawful, and monetary damages including attorneys’ fees.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has urged the Trump administration to halt the Department of Justice investigation into whether Broken Arrow violated federal religious land-use protections. The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly launched a civil rights investigation into the city’s alleged violations.
