Judge Rejects Injunction Against Sterling Heights Mosque
STERLING HEIGHTS (AP) — A federal judge has refused to stop construction of a mosque that was the result of a settlement between a Detroit suburb and the U.S. Justice Department.
Some residents are upset that Sterling Heights struck a deal to allow the mosque. Judge Gershwin Drain rejected a request for an injunction Wednesday.
Critics say Sterling Heights ignored its zoning ordinance when it settled with the government, which sued in December after the city turned down the mosque.
Robert Muise, an attorney with the American Freedom Law Center, says more legal action is planned. He says the project doesn't fit the neighborhood, whether it's a mosque or some other large building. It could be 20,500 square feet.
Dan Dalton, an attorney for the mosque, says design and permits will come next.
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