Texas town scrutinized for blocking Muslim cemetery plan

Texas town approves and then quickly ‘disapproves’ plans for a Muslim cemetery leading to an investigation by the Feds after three years of ‘delays’

Residents of Farmersville were unhappy an Islamic cemetery was going to be plotted on an unincorporated patch of land on the edge of town
34 acres of land was purchased by the Islamic Association of Collin County
Plans were submitted and though at first were approved were then ‘disapproved’
There have now been three years of delays that many believe is a deliberate effort to undermine the project
Original plans were met with ‘anti-Islamic sentiment’ and anxiety from residents that a mosque or a madrassa, a Muslim school, would follow the cemetery

By Associated Press

Published: 02:19 BST, 31 August 2018 | Updated: 20:51 BST, 31 August 2018

Federal officials may sue a Texas town over its decision to halt a religious association’s plans to build a Muslim cemetery.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether Farmersville violated a law designated to stop municipalities from discriminating against land use decisions, the Dallas Morning News reported.

The U.S. Attorney General’s Office ‘has approved the filing of a lawsuit against the city under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act,’ according to a city statement.

The Farmersville City Council unanimously voted this week to enter negotiations to reach a potential settlement that would allow the cemetery to proceed and avoid a lawsuit.

The city, about 45 miles north of Dallas, has roughly 3,300 residents, 75 percent of whom are white.

The Islamic Association of Collin County announced in July 2015 that it planned to create a graveyard on the land it bought in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.

But the City Council denied the Plano-based organization’s preliminary proposal last summer, despite the plan meeting all of the city’s criteria, according to records.

Farmersville officials cited concerns over drainage issues, according to City Council meeting minutes from July 2017.

Some residents responded to the cemetery plan with anti-Islamic sentiments and expressed concern that it would lead to a mosque or a Muslim school being added to the area next.

The association has said there are no plans to add such facilities to the area.

‘A lot of those people – their feelings are still out there,’ said Mayor Randy Rice, who was elected in May. ‘It’s going to take time.’

A U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman declined to comment. An association attorney also declined to comment.