06-27-2012 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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St. Anthony City Council votes down Islamic center; Muslims claim bias St. Anthony City Council votes down Islamic center; Muslims claim bias By Elizabeth Mohr enzohr@pioneerpress.com pioneerpress.com TrainCities.com- Pioneer Press Posted: Page 1 of 2 TwinCities.con. Minnesota Muslims are calling on federal authorities to look into a vote by the St. Anthony City Council, claiming bias in a decision to vote down a proposed Islamic center. The council voted 4-1 Tuesday, June 12, against an application for a conditional -use permit that would have allowed the Abu - Huraira Islamic Center to be established in an area zoned for light industrial. At the same meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve a change to the city code clarifying the definition of assembly, allowing religious and nonreligious assemblies to be established in commercial zones and prohibiting all assemblies in light industrial zones. The previous city code allowed churches, temples and synagogues only in residential areas but allowed assemblies, meeting lodges and convention halls in both commercial and light- industrial zones. The proposed Abu - Huraira Islamic Center would have been situated in a light - industrial area. City staff had recommended that the council approve the application. In order to establish its center within St. Anthony, the applicant must find a new site and re -apply for a conditional -use permit, said City Manager Mark Casey. If the application had been approved as submitted, the center would have been grandfathered in as a legal, nonconforming use, as long as the center didn't expand, Casey said. In a news release Wednesday, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American- Islamic Relations called foul and said discrimination was at play. "At (Wednesday's) council meeting, the proposed Islamic center faced opposition from an intolerant speakers (sic) who -- Islamic center proponents assert -- clearly exposed the real reason for the approval delay and rejection," the release said. The group has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate allegations of anti- Muslim bias," according to the release. Casey acknowledged that some speakers at Tuesday's meeting made disparaging remarks but said the city council did not agree with them. "It was an emotionally charged meeting," Casey said. "And some of the comments made were not representative of the mayor and council." In February, Muxamedrashid Ali applied for a conditional -use permit to convert a portion of the St. Anthony Business Center into the Islamic center, according to city documents. Similarly, the city received -- and later denied -- an application for a religious assembly in a light - industrial zone last year. That request came from Mountain of Fire Miracle Ministry of Minnesota, a hap : / /epleleanprint.net /cpf /cpf? action =pri nt&url= http %3 A% 2F% 2Fwww .twincities.com %2Fportlet %2F... 6 /22/2012 2