NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Muslims in a Tennessee congregation are preparing for the holy month of Ramadan a day after a federal judge ruled they have a right to occupy their newly built mosque. The order overrules a county judge's order that was keeping them out.
The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro sued Rutherford County on Wednesday and asked U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell for an emergency order to let worshippers into the building before the holy month of Ramadan starts at sundown Thursday.
Federal prosecutors also filed a similar lawsuit.
The future of the mosque had been in question since May, when a local judge overturned the county's approval of the mosque construction. This month he ordered the county not to issue an occupancy permit for the 12,000-square-foot building.
