By John Dobberstein, Editor
As a crucial public hearing approaches on a proposed mosque and retail project in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drumond is investigating the project over concerns about the organizers and financing behind the project.
Drummond said Thursday that investigators will look into whether the project at Olive Avenue just south of the Creek Turnpike, “complies with Oklahoma law and applicable federal statutes.”
Drummond said the review is prompted by “substantial public concern surrounding the proposal, as well as questions raised about the ownership structure, governance and financing of the project.
“Oklahomans deserve confidence that local land-use decisions are being made lawfully, transparently and in full compliance with state and federal law,” Drummond said in a statement. “My office will examine whether the proposed development and the processes surrounding it meet those legal requirements.”
The Attorney General’s office will also investigate funding sources for the project, the land for which is owned by the North American Islamic Trust — an organization that controls the deeds to more than 300 mosques and religious centers across the U.S.
Drummond said NAIT, “reportedly has ties to the radical Muslim Brotherhood,” a claim that has been stated numerous times since the organization was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation prosecutions in 2008. In the case, 5 suspects were convicted of steering $12.4 million in donations to Hamas. The U.S. declared Hamas a terrorist organization in 1995.
NAIT filed a federal lawsuit in attempts to clear its name, and the judge’s secret ruling, later made public, said NAIT’s legal rights were likely violated because prosecutors should have sealed court information that named more than 200 co-conspirators in the case. But the judge declined to remove NAIT from the list, stating prosecutors provided ample evidence for NAIT to be listed.
“Given the realities of global terrorism, there can be no compromise on public safety and security,” Drummond said Thursday. “In our state, we have already seen a radical Islamist sentenced for plotting mass murder.
“Several 9/11 hijackers had attended an Oklahoma flight school. It is only appropriate to act with caution when the project in question might have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.”
The 15 acres where the mosque and retail project are proposed was purchased by the Islamic Society of Tulsa for $625,000 in 2014 but deeded over to NAIT just a few months later.
The developer of the project, the Islamic Society of Tulsa (IST), said in a statement Thursday that no foreign funding was sought or received to buy the property or for the planning of the project.
The land for the proposed project was purchased in 2014 through charitable donations from residents of the “greater Tulsa region,” IST said Thursday in a statement. “No foreign funding was sought or received for either the acquisition of the property or the planning of this project.”
IST and the architect for the project, Rick Brown, said the mosque is intended to address “persistent overcrowding” at the organization’s current midtown Tulsa mosque, especially during Friday prayers and Ramadan services.
IST said it wants to serve the growing Muslim population that lives and works in the Broken Arrow area.
IST also said the design and scope of the proposed center was, “developed through extensive and ongoing coordination with the professional staff of the City of Broken Arrow, ensuring full compliance with all applicable laws, zoning requirements and regulatory standards.”
“The Islamic Society of Tulsa remains committed to working constructively with the City of Broken Arrow to move this much-needed community center forward in a manner that serves both its members and the broader community.”
Last month, after a marathon 4-hour public hearing, the Broken Arrow Planning Commission recommended approval of a rezoning request for the property, which is currently zoned as agricultural, and a permit for a place of assembly.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma City issued a statement Thursday that was critical of Drummond’s decision.
“Launching a witch hunt into a mosque without any evidence of wrongdoing sends the message to Oklahoma Muslims that their houses of worship will experience heightened scrutiny simply because of their faith,” CAIR-Oklahoma said.
“This unjust and unacceptable publicity stunt mirrors a broader pattern of anti-Muslim initiatives we are seeing from public officials in multiple states, where anti-Muslim fearmongering is used for political gain rather than to uphold justice or the Constitution.
“If Attorney General Drummond dares to flout the law by interfering with this house of worship, he should expect to find himself answering for his actions in a court of law.”
The 5-member Broken Arrow City Council is expected to vote on the recommendation during a special meeting Monday at 6 p.m. at Northeastern State University’s Broken Arrow campus.
On Thursday the city said it did not expect Drummond’s investigation to have any bearing on the hearing Monday.
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