Muslim civil rights group says conditions imposed on West Valley Muslim Association raise serious religious freedom and equal treatment concerns
The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged the Los Gatos Town Council to grant the West Valley Muslim Association’s (WVMA) appeal challenging 19 of the 33 new conditions imposed by the Planning Commission on the town’s only mosque.
CAIR-SFBA submitted a letter supporting WVMA’s appeal, which asks the Town Council to preserve the permit approved by the Planning Commission for WVMA’s property at 19679 Farley Road on May 21. CAIR-SFBA’s letter also asks the Town Council to remove or revise 19 unlawful conditions imposed on the mosque.
SEE: WVMA Appeal to Town Council
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
“Approving a mosque’s permit while attaching uniquely burdensome conditions is not equal treatment. Los Gatos should not impose restrictions on WVMA that it would not impose on other houses of worship. The Town Council should grant the appeal and ensure that any conditions are neutral, evidence-based, and consistent with federal religious freedom protections.”
In a statement, WVMA Founder Razi Mohiuddin said:
“No church or synagogue in Los Gatos faces anything close to the burdensome conditions imposed on our community. The disparity is documented, it is stark, and we believe it is a clear federal civil rights violation.
“What we will not accept is a local planning commission deciding what worship means to our community. That is a chilling overreach that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment. We are prepared to pursue every legal remedy available to us.”
The challenged conditions include annual compliance reviews, restrictions on religious activities, attendance caps below the Fire Code limit, parking and traffic requirements, expanded communication mandates, and capital improvement requirements.
WVMA’s appeal argues that the challenged conditions violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), a federal law that protects religious institutions from discriminatory or unnecessarily burdensome land-use restrictions. The appeal says several conditions single out the mosque for requirements not imposed on comparable religious institutions in Los Gatos, impose substantial burdens on religious exercise, and rely on generalized concerns from neighbors rather than objective evidence.
CAIR-SFBA urged the Los Gatos Town Council to grant WVMA’s appeal and strike or revise the challenged conditions to ensure compliance with federal law and equal treatment for the Muslim community.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, ladam@cair.com
