Source: The Hartford Courant

On February 16, 1999, The Hartford Courant published an article on the efforts of the Jafaria Association of Connecticut to gain city approval for a Shi'ite mosque in Meriden, CT. The association, which only had a handful of families in 1996, has now grown to 150 members. They began to worship in private homes in 1996 and then moved to a rented church. Now, members of the association are trying to get a proposal approved by the Meriden town officials. Although the association has made a deal for the property, the city zoning board turned down the Jafaria Association's first proposal in December, stating that it would attract too much traffic. The Jafaria Association is awaiting a decision from the board of appeals for permission to build.