Thank you for joining us for the First Liberty Briefing, an exclusive podcast where host Jeremy Dys—also First Liberty Senior Counsel—provides an insider’s look at the stories, cases, people and laws that have made America the world’s leader in protecting religious liberty.
Drive through most towns in America and you’ll see evidence of religion on almost every corner of the community. In residential areas, business districts and even on Main Street, America is filled with houses of worship.
Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania is no different. There, the town has dozens of churches, synagogues and even religious temples. But, what they have not had is a mosque. When the leaders of the local Muslim community sought to build their own building, the city gave them the runaround. Their application was subjected to heavy scrutiny, the zoning board required six separate hearings on the application while other applications were summoned only once. City officials even asked for specific information about the mosque’s members and where they were from.
Finally, the city rejected the application entirely.
Imagine if this were your congregation or synagogue. How would you feel about your City Council making your congregation go through administrative steps that no one else had to go through?
Well, we know how the United States Department of Justice felt. They filed a lawsuit alleging that the City violated the Constitution and laws requiring equal treatment – especially when it comes to zoning.
I hope the DOJ wins.
Protecting religious liberty for all Americans means tolerating a diverse set of beliefs. When a city targets a mosque for unequal treatment, it threatens the religious liberty of all houses of worship.
First Liberty Institute is the largest organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to protecting religious freedom for all Americans. Find out more here.