Islam in North America: Two Articles

Alaskan Muslims raising the roof of state's first mosque

Alaska’s first mosque has risen quietly over the last few years in a gravel lot in a South Anchorage commercial district, a neighbor to a Korean Presbyterian church, a couple of auto repair garages, a drive-through Chinese restaurant and a Sons of Norway hall.

A few weeks ago, Sam Obeidi, vice president of the Islamic Community Center Anchorage Alaska, turned a key and pushed open the mosque’s door, flipping on a light in a hallway that smelled of drywall plaster and new carpet.

Palestinian by birth, Obeidi came to Alaska as a teenager to join his father, a refugee, who settled in Anchorage in the 1960s. In those days, Muslims met and prayed in his father’s home. Obeidi’s family now owns a frame shop and gallery. He has been involved with the mosque-building project for the last five years of an effort that began 15 years ago. Read more

Georgia Town Bars Muslims From Renting Worship Space

A Georgia town has rejected a request from a neighborhood Islamic group for the right to rent a local retail space for worship services, frustrating local Muslims looking for a place to pray and sparking debate over the definition of religious freedom.

Last month, a Muslim community in and around Kennesaw, Georgia asked the city council for the right to rent a 2200-square foot space in a local strip mall to conduct daily prayers and Friday services. The group argued that many of their worshippers currently have to drive long distances to meet with other Muslims for religious gatherings, and wanted to use the storefront as a temporary location until they found a more permanent home.

But after two weeks of heated debate, the council silently denied the community’s request on Monday night, striking down the measure in a 4-1 vote without further comment. Only one council member, Cris Eaton-Welsh, voted in favor of the motion. Read more

See also
Georgia Town Reacts To Mosque Ban In Kennesaw Shopping Mall

Tomorrow I will be posting a churchlawandtax.com article about churches and zoning.