Marietta mosque aims to expand

MARIETTA,GA–The Suffa Dwat Centre mosque received approval last December in the face of stiff opposition from some neighbors and the city school. The mosque’s attorney Doug Dillard had then alleged that the council’s refusal of permission is in violation of religious freedom.

He then threatened to sue the city for denying the applicants’ their right to religious freedom, and that’s when the council changed its vote to approve the application.

Six months later the mosque is planning to expand on a small scale. “We are short of space by just a little bit, so I thought let us expand it so we can accommodate for future needs,” said a mosque member to the Marietta Journal. Mosque members have also been regularly in touch with neighbors and have so far no issues have been identified.

Darryl Simmons, Kennesaw planning and zoning director, told the Journal that the mosque would not have to get approval by the City Council to expand.

“It would just have to go through the normal business licensing process through the building services department. So they would apply for a building permit to make any changes to bring the building up to code and then get a certificate of occupancy and approval from the fire marshal,” Simmons said.

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