Court rules in favour of city allowing mosque to be built

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – An appeals court says a Detroit suburb violated no laws when it cleared City Council chambers during a meeting about construction of a mosque.

The Detroit News reports a three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals this week found in favour of Sterling Heights.

An attorney for a group of residents opposing the American Islamic Community Center’s mosque says they’ll ask the full court to take up the issue.

A federal judge last year ruled in favour of Sterling Heights. The city denied plans for the mosque in 2015 over what it said were parking, traffic and other concerns.

The centre and the U.S. Justice Department sued the city, leading to a 2017 agreement allowing construction. Lawyers for some residents then sued, saying zoning ordinances were being violated.

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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/