New Jersey Town Rejects Mosque, Claims Zoning Issues

In a zoning meeting that featured New Jersey residents chanting the Lord’s Prayer in hopes of drowning out a group of Muslim men who had begun to pray, the zoning board of Bayonne New Jersey rejected an application to build a mosque in the city. "The Muslims of Bayonne, who bought the warehouse on a dead-end street for $1 million more than two years ago and requested zoning changes shortly thereafter, are now reviewing their legal options," reports Matt Katz for WNYC.

This meeting has been a long time in the making, "For several years, Muslim residents here have rented space in the basement of a Catholic church to pray. There is no mosque in the city, and the proposed project included plans for a soup kitchen, health services and summer camp for kids," Katz reports.

The city had hired a city planner who found that the mosque would not disrupt parking during peak hours. "Still, the zoning board sided with opponents, saying the mosque would inappropriately effect the neighborhood. They referenced zoning laws, not religion, in their votes," Katz reports.