AhlulBayt News Agency: After more than a decade of planning and legal proceedings, a new Muslim community center is set to be established in Pittsfield Township, Michigan.
On May 8, township planners unanimously approved the final site plan for the Hidaya Muslim Community Center and an accompanying residential development, according to a report by Mlive.
The approved project includes a 58,000-square-foot community center and 11 duplex buildings containing a total of 22 housing units. The development will be located south of Ellsworth Road at its intersection with Golfside Road, situated between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
The initiative is led by the Hidaya Muslim Community Association, a nonprofit organization based in Ann Arbor. According to the association, the center will feature prayer halls for men and women, a gymnasium with basketball courts, multi-purpose activity rooms, and other community-oriented spaces.
Although designed to serve the Muslim population, the facility will not require membership and will be open to people of all faiths. The goal, according to Mohamad Issa, the association’s treasurer, is to build cultural understanding and create an inclusive space for everyone.
The project originates from an effort launched nearly 15 years ago, initially aimed at establishing an Islamic school. However, in 2011, township officials denied a rezoning request due to concerns about traffic and the impact on the neighborhood.
Following this setback, the Michigan Islamic Academy, with support from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, filed a lawsuit challenging the township’s decision.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice also took legal action, alleging that the township had violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by blocking the project.
Both cases were resolved in 2016. Under a $1.7 million settlement and a court-issued consent judgment, the development was allowed to proceed, clearing the way for the construction of the Hidaya Muslim Community Center.
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