Kennesaw City Council Reverses Mosque Vote
Exactly two weeks after the Kennesaw City Council voted down a proposed mosque, to be located in a strip mall, it changed its mind Monday night.Hear the broadcast version of this story.
The council unanimously approved the mosque this time. Four ‘no’ votes changed to ‘yes’.
“They have substituted the vote they had two weeks ago for the vote they had tonight, which is for approval, unconditional,” said Doug Dillard, the mosque’s attorney.
“Unconditional” means the mosque will not be required to limit parking or numbers of people, even though members agreed to.
The reversal didn’t sit well with some Kennesaw residents, like Carlene Fregeolle. She addressed the council after the vote.
“By your flip-flopping, this has made the city more vulnerable to people who want to shape the laws to meet their own purpose,” she said. “You really need to stop and think of the long-term consequences of your actions.”
That tension continued outside the council chambers, where protestors argued with the mosque’s supporters. Some residents defended the congregation’s right to practice its religion freely. Demonstrators said Islam is a “cult” that will usher in Sharia Law.
Attitudes like that concern Samir Mullick, who plans to worship at the mosque.
“We come here in peace,” he said. “We’ve been, some people have been part of this community for 10, 15, 20 years. We’ve been a peaceful part of this community and we’re just as American as anybody else.”
This latest vote seems like a win for the mosque. But attorney Doug Dillard still plans to file a lawsuit. Council members have 30 days to change their minds again. Dillard says he needs to act in order to protect his clients.
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