AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): According to a local media report, officials in the city of Broken Arrow, the largest suburb of Tulsa, on 18 December granted initial approval to rezone 15 acres of land for the proposed project. The decision followed a four-hour meeting during which more than 60 residents registered to speak, with the majority voicing opposition to the plan.
Robert Gornsen, chair of the Broken Arrow Planning Commission, said the vote addressed only the technical feasibility of the proposal and that its cultural implications were not examined at this stage.
One commission member who voted in favor of the proposal said the decision was based on property rights, stressing that landowners are entitled to use their property as long as municipal and state regulations are met.
By contrast, several attendees raised concerns about the project’s potential impact on the local community. One resident said he did not want an “ideology” imposed on his family. In response, a supporter of the project emphasized that Muslims living in the area are part of the local community and serve as teachers, doctors, business owners, and parents.
City records show that the land was purchased in 2014 by the Islamic Association of North America, an organization active since the 1970s that owns properties in more than 40 US states. Estimates indicate that around 10,000 Muslims live in the greater Tulsa area.
The final decision on the rezoning request and the issuance of a conditional construction permit rests with the Broken Arrow City Council, which is scheduled to consider the matter at a special meeting on 20 January 2026.
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