The application to allow a storefront mosque in a Kennesaw shopping center will be back on the city council’s agenda Monday.
The council had rejected the application by a 4-1 vote on Dec. 1.
Mayor Mark Mathews issued a statement Wednesday night, after a closed-door work session with the council, that said council members Leonard Church, Tim Killingsworth, Jim Sebastian and Debra Williams want to change their votes and allow the mosque to open.
Each of the four council members had previously voted against the mosque.
“…After further consideration and legal review, council members … independently approached me in my office during a recess following (Wednesday’s) executive session and requested to change their votes cast in the meeting held Dec. 1,” the statement says.
Mathews says there will be no limitations — called stipulations — required for the mosque to open. Kennesaw staff had recommended approval of the request by Suffa Dawat Center, Inc., which wants to open a worship center at 2750 Jiles Road.
Mathews said in the statement that the council is trying to achieve a mission for Kennesaw to be “an inclusive city with opportunities for all.”
A group calling itself the Steering Committee of the Muslim-Jewish Dialogue released the following statement:
“We are heartened that the Kennesaw City Council has acted promptly to correct its Dec. 1 vote and has (Wednesday) evening approved the application by local Muslims to establish a place of prayer within the City of Kennesaw. This decision is in keeping with the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of all people to practice their religion freely.
“Respect for the Constitution means equal treatment for all. Living up to this principle is difficult, but it is a precondition for achieving justice and peace in our communities.”
In an email exchange Thursday, Mathews told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that no vote was taken Wednesday night — that the council members’ requests were enough to have the mosque placed on Monday’s agenda.
“A vote (on whether) to allow them to change their votes will take place Monday,” Mathews wrote to the AJC. “If the council approves the request then each vote will be recorded accordingly. If the changed vote causes a change in the outcome of the item … no further action will be needed.”
There are five council members in Kennesaw — the four who now want to change their votes and Mayor Pro Tem Cris Welsh, who voted in favor of the mosque last month.
About the Author
