EventFor the past decade the Carmel, Indiana community has developed a Greek Orthodox Church, a Jewish Synagogue, a Mormon Temple, and a Coptic Orthodox church with ties to Egyptian practices. However, a noticeable void exists in the community in regards to a place of worship for Muslims. For many years, a congregation of muslims have been meeting in a cramped office space south of 96th Street in Indianapolis. The Al Salam Foundation, whose members are drawn mostly from Carmel, Westfield and Zionsville, is looking to change that by building Carmel’s first mosque (King, 2018).
The Al Salem Foundation, who is leading the way for the building's development, is a nonprofit organization that supports religious and cultural Islamic activities. Each week in its tiny location on 96th street, as many as 150 people pack the room. Many of the active members of the group live in Carmel and have been seeking a permanent place of worship closer to home (King, 2018).The Al Salem foundation is proposing the mosque to be located at 141st Street and Shelborne Road. Initial plans call for a building with a minaret and a dome topped by a crescent moon. Initial plans for the building of this mosque is receiving great backlash. While the mayor of Carmel at the time of development, Jim Brainard, welcomed the idea of a mosque. Many members of the Carmel community have opposed this plan and are eager to fight against its development (King, 2018).
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Finding a new home: Mosque Planning Stages BEginFor many years, the Al Salem Foundation has been in search of a new place to call home. With a growing muslim congregation, its facility at the time was not adequate enough to meet the needs of the group. Unfortunately, with very few sellers in the community willing to work with the idea of building a mosque, this group struggled to find a new home. With several potential areas available many sellers gave the impression that the land was for sale but just not for the Al Salem Foundation (Fittes, 2018).
When the Al Salem Foundation introduced its first plans to build a 28,000 square-foot mosque in Carmel, community members were quick to develop a petition to reject the proposal. However, on February 26, 2018 the Board of Zoning Appeals for Carmel approved the proposal for a mosque to be built at 141st and Shelborne Road. In total, the new project would amass 5 acres and be located in the residential neighborhoods of Carmel (Grossman, 2018). |
ResponseThe approval of the proposed mosque was quickly questioned and suspended after opposition developed from residents of the nearby upscale neighborhoods. The muslim group, Al Salem foundation, was trying to get the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals to approve its plans as a special use, which is allowed under the residential zoning codes. However, with concerns from homeowners filing in about the effect it can have on their property values, the approval was suspended pending a judicial review (Grossman, 2018).
The following information outlines the arguments and disagreements local residents held against the plans for a mosque:
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OutcomeAfter the Carmel Zoning Appeals Board approved the plans of the new mosque, neighbors of the 141st Street property filed a petition to Hamilton County Superior Court. This petition involved a judicial review of the approval of the new mosque and its effect on the community. Ultimately, the final decision was in favor of not building the mosque stating that the new development would bring strenuous new challenges to current residential community members (Hays, 2019). The Al Salem foundation quickly went to work to ensure the long enduring years of finding a new home would not go to waste. The decision made by the Hamilton County Superior Court was appealed to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Five local Carmel, Indiana residents were leading the dispute against the mosque’s development. Ultimately, the appeals court upheld an argument made by the Carmel Zoning Appeals Board that stated the plaintiffs failed to provide the necessary paperwork in time for a legal proceeding to continue (Hays, 2019). After overcoming the legal challenges and obstacles, the Al Salam foundation has begun working on its new Mosque. Construction of the mosque began early on in 2020 and has already seen some preliminary work done with fence installation and landscaping done near 141st Street. The long and enduring battle of the Al Salam foundation is finally paying off after years of planning and disputes. Board members and the congregation are ecstatic to see the final touches be put together at their new home called the Islamic Life Center (Shambaugh, 2019). |