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.
Wednesday night, the council and Mayor Mark Mathews held a closed-door work session. According to a statement released by Mathews afterward, council members Leonard Church, Tim Killingsworth, Jim Sebastian and Debra Williams said they wanted to change their votes against allowing the mosque to open.
Each of the four council members had previously voted against allowing the mosque.
“…After further consideration and legal review, council members … have independently approached me in my office during a recess following tonight’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.”
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