'We do not want Sharia': SC county denies permit for proposed mosque after community backlash

The Lancaster County Council in South Carolina unanimously voted to deny a permit request for a proposed mosque after residents raised concerns about the project.

Arafath Mohammad, owner of Waxlan Investments LLC, earlier this year requested a conditional-use permit to build a mosque on Harrisburg Road in Indian Land. Mohammad purchased the property in January, which is located in a low-density residential zone and currently contains a home. He had planned to demolish the house to make way for a 3,000-square-foot mosque, located less than two miles from the Islamic Community Center of South Charlotte in Fort Mill.

“Because it’s a standing assembly, we’re saying 100 people with only 28 cars, which again is a very light assembly,” Mohammad said at a Lancaster County Council meeting on May 11.

Wilfredo Rivera, a homeowner who lives next door to the property, said neither he nor his neighbors were informed about the proposal before learning of the planned construction. According to Queen City News, Rivera said traffic in the area is already congested and argued the project would worsen existing issues.

“It is just a nightmare,” Rivera said, adding that he put his home up for sale after hearing about the request to build the mosque.

During the May 11 meeting, council members heard from residents who were against the proposal. One Lancaster County argued that “Islam is not a religion, it’s a takeover.”

Another resident of the county said, “We do not want Sharia law in this area."

Council members allowed a public comment period that lasted over two hours, after which they voted unanimously to deny the permit.

“Adding a place of assembly in this location, on this road, at this time, is not something I can support,” said county council member Stuart Graham.