Muslim Congregation Sues (Philly Suburb) Bensalem to Build Mosque
Let me guess, they going to come up with concerns about traffic. It’s become sort of like how racists always say they have black friends. Speaking of, I think starting today I’m going to begin keeping track of the demographics of every town that pulls this crap, just to see what the pattern is (if any).
Bensalem’s demographics, according to the 2010 census:
72.1% Non-Hispanic White
10.2% Asian
8.4% Hispanic or Latino ancestry
7.3% Black or African American
2.6% of the population were of two or more races
0.5% Native American
Now on to the the story. Added emphasis is mine:
A Muslim congregation in suburban Philadelphia has filed a federal suit against Bensalem, claiming the township has violated its constitutional rights by denying them permission to build a mosque. […]
In Bensalem, there are only 35 parcels zoned for houses of worship, the suit states. Twenty of those lots are occupied by other religious institutions, four are used as parks and recreation areas, five are cemeteries, and six are in use as schools or institutional residences.
The Masjid has petitioned the township to make an exception since there are no other parcels of land zoned for religious use. […]
According to the suit, the township has made exceptions in the past for other religious organizations to build on land not specifically zoned for the purpose. But when the Masjid applied in Oct. 2013 for a variance to build on the Hulmeville Road parcel, the township engineers the following month denied their application. But in December, the township granted a variance to construct a Hindu temple on the site of a former swim club, and in April 2014 granted another variance so that another Hindu temple could be built on the site of a failed restaurant.
The suit cites several additional examples where the township granted variances to a Greek Orthodox Church, a Buddhist temple and a Pentecostal Christian church. […]
P.S. Avoid the article’s 600+ comments unless you want to get covered in slime. And remember: There’s no such thing as Islamophobia, according to some. //
Bensalem might want to take a lesson from this: Bridgewater, NJ Mosque Settlement: $7.75 Million