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A new mosque is to be built in Sterling Heights after the city reached an agreement today with the U.S. Department of Justice and the American Islamic Community Center (AICC), which had sued the city after it rejected the center's plans.
Attorneys for the AICC cheered the settlements, calling them a victory for religious freedom and the Muslim-American community, which was concerned after the city in 2015 denied permission for the center to build a mosque on 15 Mile Rd between Mound and Ryan roads. Residents who objected to the proposed 20,5000-square-foot mosque believed it was not suited for the area, which they said was zoned more for residential use.
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, who handled the case along with the civil rights division of the Justice Department, also applauded the settlement.