Mosque Litigation on Track for Trial

There is nothing new to report on the , but all parties involved say the litigation is under way.

According to township administrator James Naples, both parties are currently proceeding to trial.

“Before the end of the year is the track,” he said. “Deposition is continuing.”

A representative with the Al Falah Center also said the litigation process is still underway.

The litigation process has been continuing for more than year, since the Al Falah Center filed suit against the township, planning board and township council in April 2011.

The suit is seeking to require the town to allow the Al Falah Center to move forward with plans to renovate the former Redwood Inn on Mountain Top Road to be used as a mosque and community center.

The plan for the mosque was brought before the planning board in February 2011, but was sent over to the zoning board after the township approved a zoning ordinance that requires houses of worship and other buildings to have entrance on major roads, of which Mountain Top Road is not one.

With the , the mosque was no longer a permitted use on the property and required a variance from the zoning board.

Residents had expressed concern over the proposed mosque in several meetings, saying that it would increase traffic in the area, and that they would prefer to see it built on a more major road like Route 22.

The complaint was filed in federal district court in New Jersey, and alleges that the new zoning ordinance discriminates against the Muslim community on the basis of religion.

Both parties declined to comment on the status of the depositions.