The Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today filed a lawsuit in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of a Michigan Muslim community against Lodi Township Michigan for the township’s unconstitutional zoning laws and practices.
The lawsuit alleges that Lodi Township has, since 2019, engaged in a zoning scheme that completely zones out religious places of worship within the township. According to the lawsuit, there is only one zoning district where places of worship are allowed to exist, yet the master plan does not set aside any land within the township for that zoning district. As a result of the current scheme, the lawsuit alleges that for a place of worship to be developed within the township, the religious organization would be required to make a request for rezoning of a parcel of property.
“Lodi Township’s current zoning ordinance makes it impossible for any new place of worship to be developed within the township which is an abject violation of RLUIPA and the U.S. Constitution.” said CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Amy Doukoure. “Despite being on notice since at least 2021 that their zoning scheme likely violated Masjid Al-Farook’s constitutional and legal rights, the Township has voted to deny their request for rezoning and took no action to review their zoning ordinance until Masjid Al-Farook demanded that they finally take action. Despite the time that has elapsed since the original request for rezoning has been filed, the Township has been unable to rectify their zoning ordinance and bring it in compliance with their obligations under the U.S. Constitution and federal law.”
“Lodi Township, like the many other municipalities, has taken the route of restricting development and expansions of religious institutions for American Muslims.” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “After nearly three years of waiting and giving the Township time to fix their zoning scheme, CAIR-MI has no other choice than to assert the Muslim community’s rights through litigation.”
BACKGROUNDER:
Currently, Lodi Township does not have a single place of worship for Muslims. According to the lawsuit, the Township has only approved one application for a rezoning for a religious institution which permitted an expansion of a preexisting Christian church.
Masjid Al-Farook first filed an application for rezoning for the development of an Islamic place of worship on Ellesworth Road, in Lodi Township in 2021. That request for rezoning was recommended for denial by the Lodi Township Planning Commission in March 2024. Lodi Township Board of Trustees have indicated that they do not plan to take any action on the recommended denial of Masjid Al-Farook’s application for rezoning, leaving the Muslim community in Lodi Township without any recourse other than filing a lawsuit challenging the Township’s zoning ordinance and master plan.
CAIR-MI filed a lawsuit on behalf of Masjid Al-Farook alleging Lodi Township engaged in violations of the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and the First and Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Walid also noted that this is the third lawsuit that CAIR-MI has filed on behalf of Muslim communities around Michigan involving zoning denials for the development of Muslim places of worship. CAIR-MI settled a similar lawsuit in 2022 on behalf of Adam Community Center against the city of Troy for the denial of variances that would have permitted the development of the first ever mosque in the city and had previously settled a lawsuit against Pittsfield Township for their denial of zoning applications for an Islamic school.
SEE: Council on American Islamic Relations settles mosque lawsuit with Troy
SEE ALSO: Islamic school, Pittsfield Twp. settle lawsuit over zoning denial
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, dwalid@cair.com; CAIR-MI Staff Attorney Amy Doukoure, 586-943-8823, adoukoure@cair.com