Georgia city defends opposition to mosque plan

Lawyers representing a metro Atlanta city say they’re fighting a local mosque’s expansion plan because of its size and scale, and they deny any discrimination.

The Islamic Center of North Fulton maintains in a lawsuit that Alpharetta wrongly denied its 2010 proposal to tear down its existing facility and rebuild a larger facility. WSB-TV reports that Islamic Center officials contend that their current facility is inadequate because it doesn’t face Mecca and is in disrepair.

Attorney Doug Dillard, who represents the Islamic Center, says other churches in the Atlanta suburb have been given approval for gymnasiums and large sanctuaries.

Attorneys for the city this week responded to some of the allegations, saying the proposed expansion is simply out of scale in size, mass, and scale to the property and surrounding area.

Associated Press, 28 August 2012