Mosque plan in Virginia meets opposition
IT IS not uncommon for new development plans in Northern Virginia to raise hackles among residents who want to limit suburban sprawl. But a proposed mosque on a 14-acre plot in a protected zone has sparked heated debate, with allegations of arrogance on one side and of anti-Muslim bias on the other.
The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), which has 11 chapters around Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia, wants to build a 22,400-square-foot mosque on the site in Nokesville, in Prince William County. About 150 to 200 Muslims from the area who conduct Friday prayers in a rented hotel space in Manassas say they want their own place for services, Sunday school, interfaith gatherings and other events.
Opponents say the proposed 500-person facility is not appropriate in the neighbourhood of single-family homes, which lies within an 80,000-acre swath created in 1998 to preserve Prince William’s remaining rural areas from sub-urbanisation.
Known as the Rural Crescent, it serves as a buffer between the county’s more developed eastern side and rural Fauquier County to the west. Most residents are required to use septic tanks, lots for new single-family homes must be on acres of at least 10 acres, and the construction of larger facilities, such as religious institutions, requires a specialuse permit from the county.
Since buying the site in 2014, ADAMS representatives say they have worked with county officials to address concerns about traffic, lighting and height, and have spent a couple hundred thousand dollars on the plan on top of the US$500,000 (RM2.3 million) paid for the land. Their application requests use of the public sewer, which the organisation argues is more environmentally sound than a septic tank. Use of a septic tank would probably limit the size of the facility.
Friction has arisen in the past when churches have sought permits for large facilities, with opponents warning they would set a precedent for further development. But in recent years at least two churches have been approved and permitted to connect to the public sewer system. Citing cases around the country where they say mosques have faced more stringent zoning
Some of the underlying issue, the opposition, could be because of lack of knowledge or hate or bigotry.
restrictions than other houses of worship, ADAMS says it is being held to a double standard by people who are leery of Muslims.
Opponents of the Nokesville project say they have no problem with Muslims and are concerned only with the integrity of the protected zone and with maintaining a quiet rural lifestyle; many residents keep goats, horses, chickens or cows. A high school was built nearby in 2011, and the county plans to widen a segment of the main road adjacent to the site to alleviate traffic.
The debate boiled over in the fall when ADAMS’ application to construct a 45-foot tall building, along with playing fields and a parking lot for more than 300 cars, went before the county Planning Commission.
Impassioned public comment at the Nov 2 hearing ran for more than four hours, with mosque supporters invoking Plymouth Rock and the First and Fourteenth Amendments and talking about their deep roots in the county and history of public service.
“I just want to say to those who imply that this is not for the residents: We are the residents; we are your neighbours,” said Shaun Ahmad, who lives in Warrenton and added that it was not reasonable to have to drive to the organisation’s nearest mosque, 40 miles away.
Some asserted religious bias was in play.
“Some of the underlying issue, the opposition, could be because of lack of knowledge or hate or bigotry,” said Rafi Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the civic and public affairs committee of the Muslim Association of Virginia.
“You’re afraid of Muslims?” said Hassan Zahwa of Gainesville. “There’s no reason for that; we have been in this community for years . . . . Turning your head the other way and pretending that we’re not here or denying this application is not going to change that fact.”
Opponents countered that their stance was about fairness and had nothing to do with antiMuslim sentiment. They blasted ADAMS for making the purchase with the assumption that a sewer connection would be approved.
“The applicant paid Rural Crescent prices for land and now want to be allowed to use it as if it were an approved development area,” said Dennis Hayo, who lives near the site. “That’s a nice increase in investment, but it’s not fair to others who purchased in the development area knowing the rules.” Noting that the site’s open space and scenic views were one thing that made it attractive to ADAMS, Tammy Spinks, a neighbour of the site, said that if the project is approved, “You will be destroying the very thing they sought out, not only for them but for all of us.”
To Betty Morrell, who lives three properties down from the site, it felt as if the two sides were talking past each other.
“All we were talking about was land use, and they were talking about what nice people they are, what good people they are,” she said. “I think they automatically assume we’re talking about race and religion, and we’re not.” Morrell is a spokeswoman for Friends of Rural Crescent Energised, a group that formed in opposition to a special-use permit for the project.
That meeting ended with a deferred vote. On Dec 7, 2016, the commission voted six to two to recommend that the Board of County Supervisors approve the project with a septic tank. — WPBloomberg
Rafi Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the civic and public affairs committee of the Muslim Association of Virginia