SMFNews: Plans for Muslim Worship Spaces Advance in Virginia, New Mexico

A view overlooking Norton, Virginia. Photo: Eli Christman, CC BY 2.0

NORTON, Va. — A Maryland-based Islamic nonprofit has closed on the purchase of a former bank building in downtown Norton, Virginia, where it plans to open a community center that includes a worship space for local Muslims, Cardinal News reported on Oct. 29. The purchase follows a city council meeting earlier this month at which more than a dozen residents spoke against the plan.

In New Mexico, a growing Muslim congregation in Albuquerque cleared a key hurdle for a new mosque after Bernalillo County commissioners voted 4-1 on Oct. 14 to reject a neighborhood appeal of the project’s approval, the New Mexico Sentinel and The Paper. reported.

A former bank in Virginia’s smallest city

The Wise County/Norton circuit court clerk confirmed the purchase of the former Bank of America building for $300,000, below its assessed value of $499,500, Cardinal News reported. WCYB reported that the sale closed on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and that the group says more than 190 donors have supported the project. No opening date has been announced.

The group’s founder, Ayman Nassar, told Cardinal News that the center will serve people of all faiths and will be a hub for youth development, workforce development and food security programs, along with a worship space for local Muslims, who he said now pray at home. Programs are expected to begin on the building’s first floor over the next several months. Nassar estimated that 50 to 100 Muslims live in Wise County and Norton. The nearest Islamic house of worship is about a 90-minute drive away, in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Opposition at city hall, and what the zoning allows

At the Oct. 20 Norton City Council meeting, more than a dozen residents criticized Islam and opposed the plan, with several calling the faith a “cult,” Cardinal News reported. Before public comment began, Mayor Joe Fawbush read a statement noting that the property is zoned for central business district uses, which include churches, schools and offices, and that no city board had been required to take any action on the project.

The mayor said the city “will continue to apply its zoning requirements based on the explicit text of the applicable ordinance, the facts presented and the specific use or development proposed.” City Manager Jeff Shupe told Cardinal News that the building was privately owned and that city officials have no authority to interfere with its sale. Norton’s zoning administrator, Winfred Collins, said the group will need a change-of-use building permit if it changes the building’s layout; as of Wednesday, he had not received an application.

Not every resident is opposed. Norton resident Michael Stubblefield told WJHL that he understood some of his neighbors’ concerns, but pointed to the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom.

— Michael Stubblefield, Norton, Virginia, resident, to WJHL, October 2026

Sixteen people attended an open house the group held in Norton on Oct. 27, and many said they welcomed its stated focus on youth and community programs, Cardinal News reported. Asked how the group would respond to criticism of Islam, Nassar said that getting programs running and having a presence in the community would open people’s eyes over time. “Change makes people uncomfortable,” he said.

In Albuquerque, an appeal is turned back

In Bernalillo County, commissioners upheld a conditional-use approval for a new mosque on Second Street NW near Alameda Boulevard in Albuquerque’s North Valley. The congregation says it has outgrown its current building, where about 120 cars try to park in 64 spaces during Friday services, project engineer Joseph Tahhat told commissioners, according to The Paper. The new site would have 235 parking spaces.

The appeal was filed by the president of a local neighborhood association, who argued that the county lacked evidence that the site and nearby roads could handle the project. Opponents raised concerns about traffic on Second Street and Alameda Boulevard and about the area’s rural character. Andrea Archuleta, speaking on behalf of the appellant, told commissioners that the appeal was not based on the applicant’s religion.

— Andrea Archuleta, speaking for the appeal at the Bernalillo County Commission, October 14, 2026

Still, public meetings over the summer included comments about Sharia law, Islamic beliefs and whether a mosque belonged in the community, the New Mexico Sentinel reported, and KOB 4 reported that anti-Islamic rhetoric was also voiced at the Oct. 14 hearing. Commissioner Walt Benson cast the lone vote in favor of the appeal, citing traffic and infrastructure concerns.

The approval carries 15 conditions, including a 26-foot height limit, a ban on a school at the site and a prohibition on amplified sound outside the building. A traffic impact study must be approved by the county, the City of Albuquerque and the New Mexico Department of Transportation before building permits can be issued, and the congregation may have to pay for road improvements. The mosque’s imam said Friday prayers would be staggered to avoid peak travel hours, The Paper. reported.

Why it matters

The federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) bars local governments from applying land-use rules that substantially burden religious exercise without a compelling reason, that treat religious assemblies on less than equal terms with nonreligious ones, or that discriminate on the basis of religion. The Justice Department is separately investigating an Oklahoma city’s zoning practices under the same law after the city denied a rezoning request for a mosque and retail center, according to a July 17 department letter reported by the Broken Arrow Sentinel. The city has said it is cooperating.

For small and growing Muslim communities, from the Appalachian coalfields to the Southwest, the two cases show how plans for a place to pray move through ordinary zoning rules, even when they draw heated public debate.

Sources: Cardinal News (Oct. 29, 2026); Cardinal News (Oct. 27, 2026); WCYB (Oct. 28, 2026); WJHL (Oct. 2026); New Mexico Sentinel (Oct. 28, 2026); The Paper. (Oct. 15, 2026); KOB 4 (Oct. 2026); Broken Arrow Sentinel.

SMFNews: Muslim Voters in Maine City Say They Were Filmed and Followed

Lewiston City Hall in Lewiston, Maine, where early voting is taking place. Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0

LEWISTON, Maine — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on Maine officials to investigate complaints that visibly Muslim voters were filmed, followed and questioned while casting early ballots at Lewiston City Hall, according to a statement the group released on Oct. 27.

Lewiston’s city clerk and Maine’s Secretary of State say they have received complaints of voter intimidation at City Hall, which serves as the city’s early voting site ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The city has posted signs reminding visitors that state law bars recording voters at close range, and police are stationed at polling locations, NEWS CENTER Maine reported.

What voters reported

According to CAIR, Somali and Iraqi community members said people with cameras stationed themselves at the entrance to City Hall, filmed voters as they came and went, followed people waiting in line and held cameras within inches of their faces. Some visibly Muslim voters were asked inflammatory questions, including whether they “denounce violence,” the group said. At least one eligible voter reportedly left without voting after repeatedly asking a person to stop following and filming him.

The Rev. Dr. Jodi Cohen Hayashida, a faith organizer with the Maine People’s Alliance, told NEWS CENTER Maine that members of the state’s immigrant community reported being recorded, followed and harassed. “They felt very unsafe. They definitely felt threatened,” she said. “We’re talking about citizens. So, these are people who have the legal right to vote.”

Hussein Ahmed, a local business owner who volunteers to drive residents to the polls, told the Sun Journal that several residents, especially older voters, had turned back without voting. “People who look a certain way are being followed with cameras,” he said. “I want people to exercise their rights no matter who they vote for.”

How officials have responded

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said on Oct. 22 that her office had received complaints of “intrusive filming, photography and harassment of voters” and was monitoring the situation, the Sun Journal reported.

— Shenna Bellows, Maine Secretary of State, October 22, 2026

“We take these allegations seriously, particularly when it appears that voters were targeted for no other reason than their race or ethnicity,” Bellows said in her statement.

City Clerk Kathy Montejo said her office forwarded the complaints to the Secretary of State and posted notices citing the state rule. “Anyone can’t take a picture or video of a voter within 15 feet inside the voting place, which is the building,” she said. “It’s important that this be addressed so voters feel safe, and comfortable, and confident when they’re going into their polling place to be able to vote.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline urged residents to keep voting and to report any harassment to the city clerk. “While people may hold different political opinions, everyone has the right to feel safe and secure when casting their ballot,” he wrote on Facebook, according to the Sun Journal. The ACLU of Maine said it is monitoring the situation along with other nonpartisan groups, including the League of Women Voters of Maine.

A news site’s presence at the polls

Several voters have said reporters for The Maine Wire, a Maine news website, have been staking out the polls and harassing voters who were casting ballots with the help of interpreters, the Sun Journal reported. The site’s editor-in-chief, Steve Robinson, denies any wrongdoing and has said his organization’s presence is needed to make sure interpreters are acting appropriately.

Separately, a candidate for the Maine House told the city that an interpreter suggested he might steer a voter’s choice. That allegation has not been independently verified, and the clerk’s office is now giving interpreters written guidance that their role is to read the ballot and mark it according to the voter’s wishes, NEWS CENTER Maine reported. Under state law, voters may choose who assists them, and aides may not influence a voter’s choice.

What CAIR is asking for

CAIR said it sent a letter to the Secretary of State on Oct. 26 and is urging the state’s Elections Division and Attorney General’s Office to investigate, and city officials to preserve surveillance footage and incident reports.

— Nicole Fauster, Community Advocacy Director, CAIR, October 27, 2026

“No voter should face such intimidation,” said Nicole Fauster, CAIR’s community advocacy director. “We respect freedom of the press and the right to report on matters of public concern. Those protections do not confer a right to obstruct, harass or intimidate voters.”

Why it matters

Federal law prohibits intimidating, threatening or coercing anyone to interfere with their right to vote, and Maine law limits photography and recording at polling places. For Muslim and immigrant families, especially those voting with the help of an interpreter, feeling watched at the ballot box can be enough to keep them home. Voters who experience or witness intimidation can ask a polling-place official for help, contact the Maine Elections Division at 207-624-7650, or call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

— Rahat Husain, executive director, Shia Muslim Foundation

“Every eligible American has the right to vote without being followed, filmed or questioned about their faith. We are grateful to Lewiston and Maine election officials for acting quickly, and we encourage Muslim voters everywhere to cast their ballots with confidence,” said Rahat Husain, executive director of the Shia Muslim Foundation.

Sources: CAIR (Oct. 27, 2026); Sun Journal (Oct. 23, 2026); NEWS CENTER Maine (Oct. 27, 2026); WMTW (Oct. 26, 2026).

SMFNews: Town Official Resigns After Calling Muslims ‘a Cancer’

Historic houses on Jordan Green in Waterford, Connecticut. Photo: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0

WATERFORD, Conn. — An elected member of Waterford’s Representative Town Meeting has resigned after writing in a Facebook comment that Muslims are “a cancer to this country,” according to The Day, a newspaper in New London, Connecticut.

Ursula Moreshead, who represented District 1 on the town’s legislative body, apologized in a statement on Thursday, Oct. 22, and resigned the same day. Her name has since been removed from the list of members on the town’s website, where the seat is now listed as vacant, The Day reported.

What she wrote

Moreshead posted the comment under another Facebook user’s post about a Muslim candidate for the U.S. Senate in Michigan. “These are the conversations that Americans should be having instead of feeling sorry for Muslims,” she wrote. “They are a cancer to this country (and others).”

In her statement to The Day, Moreshead said she was “angry and scared” about extremist ideologies tied to “smaller radical groups around the world.” She added: “I see that my comments rightfully and deeply angered people, and for that I truly apologize.”

— Ursula Moreshead, statement to The Day, October 22, 2026

“My feelings of global discourse towards large radical groups do not reflect my feelings about my community or about the Waterford residents whatsoever,” she said. According to CT Insider, she also said, “I should know better and I will do better.”

Local and civil rights reaction

A local political town committee in Waterford condemned the comments as “hurtful and unacceptable,” The Day reported. “There is no place for religious intolerance, discrimination, or hateful language in our community,” the committee said. “Elected officials have a responsibility to represent and serve everyone in their community, regardless of their religion, background, or beliefs.”

The Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CT) welcomed the apology in an Oct. 23 statement and called for follow-through.

— Farhan Memon, chairman, CAIR-Connecticut, October 23, 2026

“Accountability is an essential first step, but it must be followed by meaningful engagement, education, and a firm commitment to ensuring that all residents, regardless of their faith or background, feel safe, respected, and welcomed in our state,” said Farhan Memon, the chapter’s chairman.

Moreshead also works as an advanced clinical social worker in the Norwich office of the state Department of Children and Families, according to The Day. The department had not commented on the matter, the newspaper reported.

Why it matters

Local officials make decisions that touch the daily lives of every resident, including Muslim families. The quick apology and resignation in Waterford came as civil rights groups report rising anti-Muslim hostility nationwide: CAIR says it recorded 8,683 complaints of anti-Muslim bias in 2025, the most since it began publishing reports in 1996.

— Rahat Husain, executive director, Shia Muslim Foundation

“Public officials serve everyone, including the Muslim families in their towns. Accountability matters, and so does what comes next: getting to know the people you represent,” said Rahat Husain, executive director of the Shia Muslim Foundation.

Sources: The Day (Oct. 22, 2026); The Day (Oct. 23, 2026); CT Insider; CAIR (Oct. 23, 2026); Mahjar Post.