(CNN) -- A federal judge's ruling Wednesday cleared the way for a controversial mosque in Tennessee to open in time for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
County officials must conduct a final building inspection at the mosque in Murfreesboro, near Nashville, U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell said in a temporary restraining order.
The order will allow the mosque to complete the inspection process so it can use its building in time for the religious holiday of Ramadan, which starts at sunset Thursday, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said in a statement.
"This is a great victory not just for the Muslims of Murfreesboro, but for people of all faiths. No house of worship should be kept from meeting just because the neighbors don't like their religious beliefs," said Luke Goodrich, deputy general counsel at the Washington-based fund, which represented the mosque in a federal lawsuit.
The U.S. Justice Department and the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro filed separate lawsuits this week, arguing that Rutherford County officials violated federal laws when they denied requests for a final inspection and certificate of occupancy for the mosque.
The center argued that it was being unconstitutionally blocked "merely because local anti-Islamic protests have made the mosque controversial."
Justice Department officials coordinated the timing of their lawsuit with the local case because they thought there would be "irreparable harm" if the mosque were not allowed to open for Ramadan, spokesman Mitchell Rivard said.
Federal judge paves way for Tennessee mosque to open for Ramadan - CNN.com
County officials must conduct a final building inspection at the mosque in Murfreesboro, near Nashville, U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell said in a temporary restraining order.
The order will allow the mosque to complete the inspection process so it can use its building in time for the religious holiday of Ramadan, which starts at sunset Thursday, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said in a statement.
"This is a great victory not just for the Muslims of Murfreesboro, but for people of all faiths. No house of worship should be kept from meeting just because the neighbors don't like their religious beliefs," said Luke Goodrich, deputy general counsel at the Washington-based fund, which represented the mosque in a federal lawsuit.
The U.S. Justice Department and the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro filed separate lawsuits this week, arguing that Rutherford County officials violated federal laws when they denied requests for a final inspection and certificate of occupancy for the mosque.
The center argued that it was being unconstitutionally blocked "merely because local anti-Islamic protests have made the mosque controversial."
Justice Department officials coordinated the timing of their lawsuit with the local case because they thought there would be "irreparable harm" if the mosque were not allowed to open for Ramadan, spokesman Mitchell Rivard said.
Federal judge paves way for Tennessee mosque to open for Ramadan - CNN.com
