"For its part, the city vigorously rejects accusations of bias. 'We believe that there was no discrimination. This is really a very simple matter,' Jay Lindgren, city attorney, told KARE. 'This is about St. Anthony only allowing religious uses in the parts of the city that are not industrial zoned.'...Given the city’s willingness to approve a permit for a union meeting hall in the same industrial area, it’s a bit suspicious that they would deny a permit for a mosque, which wo...uld have hosted assemblies of similar size."
It sounds as though Lindgren is saying that the city is excluding religious uses, specifically, from industrially zoned areas. Does that exhibit religious discrimination if the mosque could be constructed without complaint in a non-industrially zoned area?
(There's always way more information needed to form a clear picture of the situation than are included in these news articles and press releases. Without a better understanding of their "industrial" zoning policy, it's hard to understand exactly what's going on. Still, it's a thought-prompt.) What are your thoughts. Read the full article here.
It sounds as though Lindgren is saying that the city is excluding religious uses, specifically, from industrially zoned areas. Does that exhibit religious discrimination if the mosque could be constructed without complaint in a non-industrially zoned area?
(There's always way more information needed to form a clear picture of the situation than are included in these news articles and press releases. Without a better understanding of their "industrial" zoning policy, it's hard to understand exactly what's going on. Still, it's a thought-prompt.) What are your thoughts. Read the full article here.