The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the Oklahoma City of Broken Arrow’s zoning and land use practices under RLUIPA, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
That probe will reportedly include the city’s denial of a rezoning request for a proposed mosque in Broken Arrow.
SEE: DOJ investigates Broken Arrow zoning practices over proposed mosque
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We welcome the Department of Justice investigation as recognition that religious freedom protections apply equally to all faith communities. Local governments cannot be allowed to deny equal treatment based on prejudice or political pressure. We hope that the investigation will help ensure Muslims in Oklahoma enjoy the same constitutional and statutory protections afforded to every other religious community.”
He noted that earlier this year, CAIR released an analysis detailing a multi-front effort to push Oklahoma Muslims outside the circle of the state’s protected civic and religious life — through legislation, through zoning, and through the investigative power of the state.
The analysis contains examples of anti-Muslim bigotry driving efforts to derail the proposed mosque, and how residents were advised to mask this bigotry.
SEE: As a Dog Returns to its Vomit: Anti-Muslim Extremism in Oklahoma in 2026
SEE ALSO: CAIR OP-ED: OK Muslims have religious rights despite efforts to erase them | Opinion – The Oklahoman
Central to CAIR’s analysis was state Rep. Gabe Woolley’s (R-Broken Arrow) resurrection of an anti-Muslim extremist state constitutional amendment that the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unconstitutional in 2012.
CAIR also noted significant organizing against the proposed Broken Arrow mosque, distribution of fliers disparaging Islam to target a candidate for public office, and an investigation apparently launched not on credible evidence but due to “substantial public concern,” a sentiment that is neither an indicator of wrongdoing nor an investigative lead.
Earlier today, CAIR released a new report documenting 17 incidents targeting Islamic places of worship in May, June, and July to date. The 17 incidents represent 51 percent of the previous year’s total and a 183 percent increase over the same three-month period last year, during which CAIR documented six such incidents.
In March, CAIR released its 2026 Civil Rights Report “The Right to be Different,” which documents a pattern of public officials using their offices to narrow the definitions of what Americans can look like, say, or believe in 2025.
SEE: The Right to be Different
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Staff Attorney Veronica Laizure, [email protected], 405-430-9877; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]