PENNSYLVANNIA
Justice Department and Bensalem Township Settle Lawsuit Over Alleged Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act Violations, according to officials.
The Department of Justice announced Tuesday it has settled a civil rights dispute with a Pennsylvania township.
Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania refused to approve the construction of a mosque for a local Muslim congregation, officials stated.
Under the settlement, the Township agreed to give the necessary zoning to build the mosque along with other concessions.
The congregation must still obtain approval from the town and various county and state regulators before construction begins, according to authorities.
“Federal law protects the rights of all religious communities to build places of worship free from discrimination,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This agreement ensures that all citizens of Bensalem Township may freely exercise this important civil right.”
The federal agreement notes that the Township violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 or RLUIPA.
The agreement resolves a lawsuit that the Department filed in July 2016. A separate agreement resolving a similar lawsuit brought by the Bensalem Masjid against Bensalem Township has also been reached, according to authorities.
The federal complaint states that the Township imposed a substantial burden on the Bensalem Masjid’s religious exercise, treated the Bensalem Masjid less favorably than the township treated nonreligious assemblies and discriminated against the Bensalem Masjid on the basis of religion.
The complaint also alleged that the township placed unreasonable limitations on religious assemblies generally through its land use regulations, according to officials.
To Read the Department of Justice/Township Settlement click here: DOJ