NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP, abc24.com) - A judge has ruled against the mosque being built near Murfreesboro in a decision that stops construction.
Chancellor Robert Corlew ruled Tuesday that proper public notice was not given for the May 2010 meeting where the mosque's site plan was approved.
Corlew notes that his opinion does not prevent the Rutherford County Planning Commission from reconsidering the issue and approving the mosque site plan again. Construction of the mosque is well under way.
Mosque opponents have fought construction for two years, arguing that Islam is not a real religion deserving of First Amendment protections and that the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has terrorist ties.
The judge dismissed those allegations but held a trial on the narrower claim that the public meeting law was violated.
