About that Proposed Mosque in Newton County
An attorney I know once told me that finding compromise with a zoning issue is often more contentious than reaching an accord in a divorce settlement. I’ve never been divorced – but I have been on the receiving end of zoning-related ire on more than one occasion. It’s… not pleasant. Thankfully, with nearly every zoning issue, there are typically criteria and conditions that must be met, whether it’s related to the current or future land use plan, state or federal laws, or existing county or city ordinances. With that in mind, I initially had a little bit of empathy for the Newton County Board of Commissioners, since it’s never fun to explain to constituents why, no matter how much they might hate a project, it is going to happen because it complies with all county or city requirements.
As the story unfolded, my empathy waned. Discussions have taken place in comment sections online and at several town hall-style meetings hosted by the Newton County Board of commissioners. The AJC encapsulated the “Mosque Pro & Con” down to this short video; WABE offered additional audio. Most of the comments I’ve read are truly something special, and by “something special,” I mean that they are overwhelmingly uninformed and unkind. I read one comment where a woman expressed her concern with the “natural” burial methods that would be utilized at the proposed cemetery, and a gentleman replied, “All they need to do is go to a pork processing plant & pick up the drippings & scatter them on the property & that would be the end of the mosque & cemetery.”
Newton County Board of Commissioners chair Keith Ellis told the AJC that the purpose of the town hall meetings is to “provide our citizens with a platform to express their concerns and ask questions about the proposed project.” It is clear by now that the meetings are primarily a forum for people to self-identify as religiously intolerant anti-Muslims (although it is notable that out of a population of more than 100,000 people, only 600 concerned residents have spoken out against this project). What’s proposed for this site differs little from the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Rockdale County, which also features a natural burial ground, a worship space, residences for the monks, and classrooms and residence spaces for guests attending retreats. The mosque probably won’t sell fudge or bonsai trees (both of which I highly recommend) – but essentially, the property uses are the same.
The proposed mosque really isn’t even a zoning issue. All of the proposed uses for the site are currently permitted land uses for the site’s existing zoning category. The Newton County Board of Commissioners will not vote on this project – and the county’s current moratorium on new places of worship is not something that will endure, as it’s not as if no new churches of any faith will want to open their doors to worshipers in Newton County. It’s what’s widely known as a staff-level decision – that is, a developer brings a proposal to county staff, staff reviews the proposal and determines whether or not it requires any variances or rezonings, and if it doesn’t, the matter proceeds through the established permitting processes, no vote necessary.
Regardless of what people think of the Neely family selling their land, regardless of whether how many Newtonians really hate Muslims, regardless of how any members of the Board of Commissioners feel about the proposed project – this is a legal project that meets the requirements for legal land uses and it is going to happen. The public can state their view at as many public forums, and as stridently or loudly, as they want – but it won’t change the outcome.
So, then, what is the purpose of these meetings? To let anti-Muslim members of the Board of Commissioners tell their constituents at election time that they did everything they could to stop the Muslim onslaught from entering Newton County? To rile people up in the midst of a presidential election cycle that is rife with accusations of bigotry from both sides?
Today, a group of mayors from across Newton County urged the Board of Commissioners to please stop embarrassing their county. Commission Chair Ellis could not be reached for comment. It’s unlikely that anyone else in Newton County will withhold theirs.
About Author
Teri
Teri Anulewicz is a Democrat who represents House District 42 in the Georgia General Assembly. She previously spent nearly a decade on the Smyrna City Council. A native New Orleanian and quasi-Texan, Teri graduated from Agnes Scott College in 1998. She's been a front page contributor since 2015, and she compiles each Tuesday's Morning Reads.
Add a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
When assimilation becomes overload shock therapy.
What does assimilation look like, and how can you distinguish it from “not upsetting the uninformed and xenophobic”?
Sure – the assimilators went to the free buffet and it is a loosing situation for the uninformed who didn’t.
But when the Europeans came to Newton Co. they weren’t looking for assimilation either.
They’re likely self-identifying patriots too. It’s about the rule of law until it isn’t.
Even the model minority can’t get a fair shake in Georgia.
https://psmag.com/ghosts-of-white-people-past-witnessing-white-flight-from-an-asian-ethnoburb-b550ba986cdb#.ngy9ocm7n
It’s hard to pigeonhole a religion that also doubles as a government with its own Sharia law, separate from U.S. law And since Sharia law forbids Muslims from taking out debt, I’ve been wondering where this Imam got all the cash to purchase 150+ expensive acres, plus the millions to build this Muslim compound of homes, school, church, cemetery, etc. Do they receive funding from their religious base in the Middle East for proselytizing here in the U.S.? Inquiring minds want to know.
You need to really do more reading. It does NOT forbid debt. What it does forbid is charging of interest on debt. FYI, this is also found in the Bible in Exodus 22:25–27,
I read plenty, maybe too much. But do you know anybody, anywhere that will lend me a few mil and not charge me anything for it? I’d like name and contact info please.
You are missing the point. Just as in Christianity, there are degrees of devoutness and/or fundamentalistness in both religions. You can’t really take the exact literal ancient text and apply it to ALL present day Muslims just like you can’t apply all Old Testament words to all present day Christians.
most likely that the largest chunk of donations by far is from their membership.
also very likely that there will be on-going needs to raise additional funds.
perhaps the discrimination they face from the community rallies donations from other Muslim- and non-Muslim Americans who understand and empathize with the awful position that bigotry has put them in.
it’s also very hard to understand if you’re serious abt sharia law, as the comment reflects a common but gross misunderstanding.
I don’t hold myself forth as an expert – that’s why I was asking questions. But I have seen the nightmare that is Brannon Hills in Clarkston, which residents have publicly said traces back to their Muslim religion and Sharia law forbidding them to do loans. That, plus the creation of special Sharia-compliant lending programs in Michigan (!) leads me to believe it’s a pretty prevalent tenant of the Islamic religion-government.
Forbidding the charging of interest doesn’t forbid taking out of debt that accrues it. One can be a borrower without being a lender! It’s the same reasoning (usury being a grave sin) that made Jewish merchants the key moneylenders of medieval times, lending money to Christians who had the exact same restriction found in the exact same place: The Bible. But it did not mean that those merchant bankers could not loan money at an interest rate to Christians and Muslims, simply that they couldn’t loan money from them in that manner.
It’s hard to pigeonhole a religion that also doubles as a government with its own Hasidic law, separate from U.S. law And since Hasidic law forbids Jews from taking out debt, I’ve been wondering where this Hassidic Rabbi got all the cash to purchase 150+ expensive acres, plus the millions to build this Jewish compound of homes, school, temple, cemetery, etc in Druid Hills. Do they receive funding from their religious base in the Middle East for proselytizing here in the U.S.? Inquiring minds want to know.
my understanding has that its more common for various sects of jews in israel to complain of american jewish donor influence.
zoning has traditionally been fertile grounds to deny minority access. i am not convinced that there still isn’t a risk that the staff-level decisions (admin decisions) couldn’t also capture discrimination, or fall victim to politicization.
The Legislature can fix this by banning future places of worship from being permitted.
This is an idea we can all get behind!