TULSA, Okla. — The Islamic Society of Tulsa expressed disappointment after the Broken Arrow City Council denied their proposal to construct a mosque in a 4-1 vote, strictly citing feasibility concerns.
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“It was shocking,” said Muhammad Afzal, chair of the Islamic Society of Tulsa. “We were not expecting that at all.”
Afzal said their intent to build a mosque was clear from the beginning of the process, consistently communicating with city leaders about their plans for the land.
2 News asked if ISTulsa ever received pushback on the plan up until this point, and Afzal said no.
“We thought, because we bought this land more than a decade, we followed the process and were in consistent communication with the city, we didn’t expect that much opposition,” said Afzal.
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More than 200 Broken Arrow families currently travel to the Tulsa mosque every day for prayer.
Afzal said their existing mosque is overcrowded and not convenient for the community.
“Broken Arrow residents deserve a worship place like everyone else,” Afzal said. “Those are the Broken Arrow residents who already live there, who work there, pay taxes, do shopping, everything, their kids go to school there. So it takes for them to come here like 15-20 minutes, and we have to come to prayer every day. So it’s definitely inconvenient for them.”
Afzal shared data ISTulsa collected on the people behind their Tulsa mosque.
“We have more than 100 physicians working in major health systems in Tulsa area, we have IT professionals, engineers, and businesses,” he said. “Many of the families among those live in Broken Arrow, so if they are providing their services, they need a worship place too.”
The proposal has drawn support from other religious leaders in the community.
Rabbi Dan Kaiman of a local synagogue shared a post with his congregation over the weekend expressing his support.
“These are not strangers these are neighbors,” Kaiman said. “My own understanding of what was unfolding in that conversation was a threat to religious diversity.”
Kaiman said he has closely followed the dialogue surrounding the mosque proposal and felt compelled to speak out.
“One of the things that I kept hearing in the conversations were echoes of antisemitism, echoes of things that had been said about Jews in other points in history and other points in our communal story and I know that those narratives are narratives that come out of fear,” Kaiman said.
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Broken Arrow City Council denies mosque zoning request
“I think when you understand the experience of being a minority, then you recognize what it might be for another to be going through a challenging moment,” the rabbi said. “If we were building a new synagogue, and we’re facing voices of opposition. I would want to know that I stood beside my religious faith partners from across denominational and religious and cultural backgrounds.”
Despite the setback, Afzal said the Islamic Society remains committed to serving the Broken Arrow Muslim community.
“All options are on the table and we will decide which option is good for us, but we are committed to having another Islamic center and committed to being a good neighbor,” Afzal said.
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