Opponents of a mosque being built in Tennessee have succeeded in overturning the local government’s approval of the building, but they lost their bid to stop construction immediately.
A judge in Rutherford County voided the county planning commission’s approval of the mosque’s site plan earlier this week. He ruled that the public wasn’t properly notified about the meeting.
He filed another order on Friday making clear that opponents of the mosque will need to file a separate motion to get the construction to stop. Opponents have used the planning issue to wage a larger campaign against Islam.
Essam Fathy, chairman of the board for the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, says they are relieved by the latest order because it gives them more time to figure out their next step.