A proposed mosque in Broken Arrow is stirring heated debate as residents, Tulsa’s Asian Affairs Commission and Oklahoma’s attorney general are all weighing in.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Thursday announced he would investigate whether the mosque, proposed by the Islamic Society of Tulsa, and accompanying commercial development complies with state law and “applicable federal statutes.”
“Oklahomans deserve confidence that local land-use decisions are being made lawfully, transparently and in full compliance with state and federal law,” Drummond, a Republican running for governor this November, said in a statement. “My office will examine whether the proposed development and the processes surrounding it meet those legal requirements.”
How we got here
It comes just two days after a meeting near the site attracted hundreds of people who spoke against the center, as reported by the Tulsa World. After planning commissioners approved the proposal in December, Broken Arrow City Council is set to consider the plan at its Monday evening meeting.
The Islamic Society of Tulsa bought the land, located near the Creek Turnpike and Olive Avenue, in 2014 for its second campus. The World says it’s currently zoned for agriculture but, per a 2019 comprehensive plan, it’s designated for commercial use.
Plans call for a 42,000-square-foot community center, a worship center and a medical clinic open to the public. There are also plans for a retail area. Society officials are open to improving draining and sewage and addressing other traffic concerns, the World reported.
“The proposed mosque and associated commercial development are intended to address persistent overcrowding at IST’s existing Midtown Tulsa location, particularly during Friday prayers and Ramadan services, and to serve the growing Muslim population that lives and works in the Broken Arrow area,” the society said in a statement Thursday.
Religious concerns have come to the forefront for the proposed mosque.
“Virtually everybody that has come to me has said, ‘We don’t want a particular world view (Islam) in our community that is diametrically opposed to us,'” David Oldham, who organized Tuesday’s meeting, told the World.
Drummond said his office will investigate funding sources after claiming land for the development is owned by the North American Islamic Trust, which allegedly has ties to what he calls “the radical Muslim Brotherhood.”
The society said “no foreign funding was sought or received for either the acquisition of the property or the planning of this project.”
Outside support
During a Thursday meeting of Tulsa’s Asian Affairs Commission, members encouraged people to show up Monday in support of the Islamic Society.
Chairwoman Sarah Gilpin was absent from the meeting but in a statement read by the vice chair said, “As representatives of the City of Tulsa, we should listen and stand in solidarity with the community, both peacefully and proactively, as they consider some zoning decisions.”
The commission also discussed the possibility of writing a letter to Broken Arrow City Council expressing support for the new mosque campus.
Parisa Pilehvar, vice chair of the commission, said she thinks “many of the misunderstandings behind objections to the policy are rooted in racial ideas that we can speak up against and draw the city council’s attention to.”
In anticipation of large crowds, Broken Arrow City Council is holding a special meeting focused on the proposal at 6 p.m. Monday inside Northeastern State University – Broken Arrow’s Building A, 3100 New Orleans St.
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