Shiite Muslim Community Denied Zoning Permit for Mosque in Connecticut

March 9, 1999

Source: The Hartford Courant

On March 9, 1999, The Hartford Courant reported that the Jafaria Association, which has undergone a year long effort to establish a mosque in Meriden, CT, was denied a zoning permit on the grounds that it would create too much traffic. Although a dozen churches have been granted permits in Meriden over the past three decades, the Jafaria Association's efforts were denied largely because of a neighborhood protest that claimed the new mosque would create too much traffic on the weekends. Syed Naqvi, president of the Jafaria Association, stated that they probably will not appeal the decision: "Even if we were to win and get the building, what would be the point. If neighbors don't want us there, we don't want to be upsetting to anyone." If the permit for the mosque had been granted, it would have been the first Shiite mosque in Connecticut.

See also: Islam, Zoning