Victory in Murfreesboro Mosques must be treated on the same terms as other houses of worship

Mosques must be treated on the same terms as other houses of worship.

By: Luke Goodrich, Deputy General Counsel, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

A Muslim congregation in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has now been freed from a discriminatory ruling that cast a cloud over the use of their new mosque.

Last year, a local judge invalidated the mosque’s construction plans on the ground that the mosque was subject to a stricter legal standard than a Christian church. But last week, a Tennessee appellate court overturned that ruling, holding that Rutherford County had properly approved of the mosque.

The mosque had faced a campaign of intimidation and harassment by local opponents. But in 2012, the Becket Fund filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the mosque. Shortly thereafter, a federal court ruled that the mosque had to be treated on the same terms as other houses of worship, and the congregation was able to use the new mosque for its celebration of Ramadan.

The most recent court decision marks a major victory for Rutherford County and its efforts to treat the mosque fairly. We’re glad that the Islamic Center will now be permitted to worship in peace on the same terms as all other houses of worship.

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Photo: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro with flag, by Saleh M. Sbenaty (Saleh M. Sbenaty) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons