Officials in a South Carolina county have denied a permit to build a mosque due to infrastructure and traffic concerns, but neighbors also pointed out they do not want Islamic sharia law anywhere near their community.
The Lancaster County Council rejected the permit to build the mosque in Indian Land after Arafath Mohammad of Waxlan Investments LLC asked for a conditional-use permit to build it on Harrisburg Road after he bought the property in January, Queen City News reported Thursday.
Wilfredo Rivera and his family own a home next to the property and claimed Mohammad did not tell neighbors he wanted to build a mosque in the area, where traffic is already becoming congested. He added that when he learned of the plans for the mosque he decided to try to sell his home.
Another neighbor told WCNC earlier this month, “I don’t think it is a good idea to put a mosque there,” citing how it might cause traffic issues due to the smaller roadways in the area.
During a council meeting on May 11, residents shared their concerns.
“I continue to oppose a mosque being built on 10935 Harrisburg Road for several reasons. In our country, the United States of America, our constitution is based on Judeo-Christian beliefs, morals and principles,” one neighbor said. “We are taught to love our neighbors and live peacefully with them. Unfortunately, the belief system of most Muslims contradict that.”
She then quoted a passage from the Quran, stating, “‘Make war on the infidels living in your neighborhood.’ And there’s been experiences that when mosques have been built it also teaches sharia law. And our president of the United States has forbidden sharia law.”
After being told to restrict her comments to the pertinent items, the woman said, “I just want to say this is not about a place of worship. This is not about religion. Islam is not a religion, it’s a takeover. And if you’ve done any studies, if you listen to any of the news media, you will find out that that is true.”
“We do not want Sharia law in this area,” another resident said during his remarks:
In 2016, the South Carolina House passed a bill banning sharia law from state courts, Breitbart News reported at the time:
Sharia law is the legal and political system mandated in the Koran and other Islamic texts. It includes laws governing religious practice, such as praying and ritual washing. But sharia also rules what Westerners see as non-government social practices — divorce, child-rearing, free speech, clothing or sexual behavior, for example — and it also rules government responses to crimes, such as theft and murder.
Sharia law relegates women and non-Muslims to a lesser status, and grants men enormous authority over wives, daughters and sons. It allows for the primitive treatment of women and non-Muslims, and allows fierce punishment — sometimes “honor killings” by fathers — for refusing to comply with sharia mandates.
During a recent interview with One America News Network, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) said, “If you look at sharia law, look at the abuse the women take, look at the 13-year-old little girls getting married to adults. It’s a violent sect, and it has no place in America and it’s taken over Europe for the most part.”
In October, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said sharia law was incompatible with “our Judeo-Christian-founded western civilization laws” after he introduced legislation aimed at shielding Americans from it, per Breitbart News.