BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — More than 200 people crowded The Property Event Center in Broken Arrow Jan. 6 to organize opposition to a proposed mosque planned to be built nearby.
Broken Arrow Planning Commission previously approved supporting the rezoning of the land the worship and community health center would be built upon.
- Previous coverage>>> APPROVED: BA planning commission OKs rezoning for mosque site
Multi-page flyers passed out to attendees and local media before the meeting, organized by local Conservative non-profit Constitutional Grounds, detailed criticisms of Islam and tied the religion to terrorism.
However, state Sen. Christi Gillespie told the crowd residents should be able to effectively appeal to city council before its Jan. 12 vote that it should deny the rezoning on feasibility grounds.
"If I was still on council right now and my own church was doing this proposed development I would have voted no," the former Broken Arrow vice mayor said. "It did work. So type (a speech) all up, put it into ChatGPT, ask for a three-minute speech, and it will spit out something for you that's fabulous."
As 2 News covered in December, the Islamic Society of Tulsa (ISTulsa) already owns the land it wants to build on.
"The City of Broken Arrow, of course, does have the right to ensure that construction that goes on is compliant with relevant regulations," Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Oklahoma chapter executive director Veronica Laizure told 2 News via Zoom. "But as far as I'm aware, as an attorney, there isn't a regulation that says a city can say, 'No, we just don't want Muslims to build here.'"
Laizure said given the planning commission's thumbs up, there's little sense in the city denying the ISTulsa's construction plans without avoiding a lawsuit.
Extended interview with Veronica Laizure of CAIR Oklahoma>>>
Organizers during Constitutional Grounds' "strategy" meeting argue that there is plenty logistically wrong with the potential construction, however. Sen. Gillespie and former state senator Nathan Dahm said concerns of traffic, flood plain, infrastructure, and the city's comprehensive plan for the Olive Avenue area cannot sustain a place of worship being built.
"How did they go after and finally get rid of Al Capone? Income tax evasion," Dahm told the crowd. "Was there a whole lot of other things going on behind the scenes that were wrong? So if you're wanting to oppose this, even if it is from a religious perspective - which I understand and I agree with you - the city council needs valid reasons to oppose it. Reasons that say this doesn't fit our comprehensive plan."
Broken Arrow residents in the crowd like Chip Keeley agreed.
"Olive (Avenue) itself is not set to be under construction for ten years. So all that traffic is going to be a cluster like you wouldn't believe," Keeley said. "It's kind of a little bit of everything. I mean, property values could go down...I asked my realtor. She said they probably will take a hit. So I'm concerned about that."
The city has already moved the Jan. 12 special meeting to be held at the NSU-Broken Arrow campus administration building.
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