Oyster Bay agreed to pay $3.95 million and approve the Masjid Al-Baqi mosque's expansion after admitting to inventing a fake grandmother used to oppose the project. The settlement ends litigation between Muslims on Long Island Inc. and the town and follows Justice Department scrutiny that flagged discriminatory parking rules. The agreement requires the town to green-light the mosque's plan, repeal a 2022 parking law that increased space requirements for houses of worship, and cover damages and attorneys' fees. The Town Board must sign the settlement within ten days, and plaintiffs expressed relief at moving forward.
A ritzy Long Island town has agreed to pay $3.95 million and approve a mosque's expansion just weeks after admitting to inventing a fake grandmother to block the project in court. The settlement, filed in federal court this week, ends a contentious legal battle between Muslims on Long Island Inc. and the wealthy North Shore town of Oyster Bay in a case that drew scrutiny from the Justice Department and exposed how Bethpage officials allegedly weaponized zoning laws and even manufactured testimony to kill the project.
Under the agreement, the town will green-light the Masjid Al-Baqi mosque's submitted plan to demolish two one-story buildings and build a larger house of worship, repeal a 2022 parking law that more than doubled space requirements for houses of worship, and pay nearly $4 million in damages and attorneys' fees. The Town Board must sign off within 10 days. "We are grateful to put this chapter behind us and to move forward in partnership with our neighbors," Moeen Qureshi, a plaintiff in the case, said.
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