A dozen Charlotte-area Muslims gathered in uptown Charlotte on Tuesday to support a planned Islamic center in Mooresville that has drawn opposition.
The Islamic Center of Lake Norman plans to build a nearly 5,000-square-foot mosque and community center off Brawley School Road.
Last week, residents packed a Mooresville town meeting to voice opposition to the project. Some raised concerns about traffic and infrastructure, while others questioned Islam and the presence of a mosque near schools.
Tuesday's press conference brought together Muslim community members and leaders who sought to push back against some of that criticism and emphasize their connection to the broader Charlotte and Mooresville communities.
Hadia Mubarak, a professor of religion at Queens University of Charlotte, said she wanted residents to see Muslims as their neighbors and members of the same community.
“As a Muslim-American, I have one message for Charlotte, Mooresville and the surrounding communities,” Mubarak said. “Our religion teaches us that faith in God means loving you as we would love ourselves.”
The property is already zoned to allow religious assembly, according to Mooresville officials.
