This case presents a really clear set of circumstances," said Roman Storzer, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who is co-counsel for the rabbinical college involved. "It shows a substantial burden being placed on a particular faith group and is a perfect case for the equal-terms provision of [RLUIPA]. It is an emblematic case of why Congress passed the statute." . . . "This represents a boiling-over point for Rockland County," said Storzer. "There has been a large influx of Hasidics into the county, who have a very different lifestyle, form of worship, and form of education. The backlash began in the '90s and the discrimination has continued."[

Town Commissioner Chad Weddle said Wednesday he could see how some might view his recent proposal to amend a planning ordinance as discriminatory, but his intentions are only to better the community. . . .

Roman P. Storzer, an attorney for Moxley, said he applauds local governments that accommodate schools and other social institutions, though he wishes the same benefits would have been offered to the Muslim group.

Lead counsel Roman Storzer said the church is suing to remove the landmark status so it can build a new building in its place. Storzer claimed that the landmark restrictions are in violation of federal civil rights law about religious land use as well as the First Amendment’s guarantees for freedom of worship.

“In the hierarchy of values that should be protected, freedom of religion has to come before architecture,” Storzer said.

"It will be the first of its kind in terms of the ability of a government to prevent a church from being able to worship as it sees fit through the imposition of historic preservation laws," says Roman Storzer, the church's attorney who filed the lawsuit.

According to the brief, the Committee will attempt to intervene in the case to protect the right of religious freedom for the Amish under both the Wisconsin and the United States Constitution. Greene, the attorney representing the Committee, said[,] "This is a value of the very highest order."

It is a "sad, sad situation," when Ahmadiyya members are not allowed to worship freely in America; many moved from their native countries to escape the same persecution for their beliefs. Moxley could also take the case to federal court to deal with potential civil rights violations, Storzer said. That option would seek enforcement of the religious freedom protections in the federal and Maryland constitutions and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

S&G has been retained by the National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom to defend the rights of the Amish to follow their religious beliefs in the construction of homes and farm buildings. The Town of Albion, located in Jackson County, Wisconsin, has sued several Amish men for an assortment of alleged building code violations. The Old Order Amish have a religious code that emphasizes simplicity, the imitation of Christ and his disciples and separation from outside society.
The National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom has a long history of defending the rights of the Amish to exercise their religion freely. Since many Amish believe that their religion requires them to turn the other cheek when they are subjected to persecution or legal harassment, the Committee organizes legal defense. It was instrumental in the seminal victory for religious rights, Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972), as well as many other significant cases.

This church had a very substantial need for a facility that can accommodate its various ministries, and it purchased property in a zoning district that allowed places of worship and has been prevented from building its church by various means ever since,” said Roman P. Storzer, the church’s attorney.

Although it is unfortunate that the Temple was forced to seek redress in the courts, a just result will hopefully be reached soon,” said Temple attorney Roman P. Storzer. “The Temple looks forward to being able to provide religious programs to its members, to co-exist harmoniously with its neighbors, and to put this four-year saga behind it.

Zoning laws have been used in the County time and time again to discriminate against and burden the religious exercise of an identifiable group that constitutes a substantial minority of the population: Hasidic Jews. In that respect, Rockland County is different in my experience from any other county in the country. This specific demographic, with their unique culture, worship and education, often clashes with the rest of the population and land use goals. All too often, the response is that if their way of life is different, they should go elsewhere. RLUIPA should not be used as a sword, some say, since it was meant as a shield. This kind of hyperbole is not helpful. Either religious exercise is protected or it is not. . . . .

I urge you to consider the implications for all of the citizens of Rockland County if this Resolution passes. If it does, we will make sure that Congress is also informed about what’s really going on in Rockland, and why RLUIPA is so necessary.

But what constitutes a "substantial burden" is up for debate, said Roman Storzer, a Washington D.C.-based lawyer with his own firm that represents religious groups across the country. "Churches and mosques and synagogues occupy a special place in our society," he said. "When you have disasters or there is a need, they open their doors. They provide social services to the needy, and they are a great benefit to society. In return, for many, many decades, municipalities have reciprocated by granting them leeway in regard to zoning issues."

But the climate regarding development has changed. Today, "people are opposed to development of any kind near them," Storzer said. The law [RLUIPA], he said, gives religious communities an opportunity to challenge zoning decisions and requires municipalities to "give a real reason for the denial."

In a test of wills, church vs. state, the church wins the first round. . . . "The government needs a very good reason to shut down a church," said Roman P. Storzer, a District lawyer who represents religious organizations in religious land-use cases.

Your Feb. 13 editorial ("Let it be") recommends that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and David Moxley give up in their attempt to use the 224-acre parcel in Walkersville as a mosque for a few dozen families and their annual Jalsa Salana event. . . . Are our fundamental freedoms so cheap that they can be set aside because it may take a few minutes longer to get home from work once a year? . . . Who actually believes that the introduction of an amendment banning places ofworship from the agricultural zone two days after the AMC's presentation was mere coincidence? The Constitution and civil rights laws protect the AMC and all of us against actions like these, just as they protect all of us from denials of other fundamental rights. Should it have been said that African-Americans being denied the vote "let it be?" Or that women denied job opportunities should "let it be?" Or that disabled individuals denied access to government buildings should "let it be?"

Roman P. Storzer, a Washington, D.C., lawyer who represents religious groups in RLUIPA litigation, said he believes Maryland has seen few cases because it is a relatively densely populated state. City-dwellers tend to be used to diversity and more tolerant of minority religions, he said.

“I think that exhibits a general tolerance toward religious institutions in this state, and in most cases towns and counties realize the importance of religion and religious institutions in public life and treat them with respect,” said Storzer, of Storzer & Greene PLLC. “There are, of course, exceptions. … In those cases, it’s good that there are constitutional and statutory protections that prevent discrimination and burdensome restriction

“The other interesting thing is that in the great majority of these cases, my clients are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, exactly the kind of minority that have been targeted in the past and the reason Congress passed this legislation,” he said. “That’s indicative of the fact that there truly is discrimination going on.”
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So, disagreements over new shuls still do arise and need to be resolved. To that end, last week the zoning board of the Village of Lawrence—after months of analysis, deliberation, and consultation on the matter—consented to allow a new shul, Congregation Heichel Dovid, to shortly begin functioning on a daily basis. The shul had previously been granted permission to operate on Shabbos and yom tov as well as on several additional days on the Jewish calendar.

We have suggested earlier that there may well be some anti-Muslim sentiment in Walkersville. That would not make Walkersville any different than many, if not most, other places…

Storzer says a challenge to the decision could be made on federal and state constitutional issues or via the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Perhaps, but even if the AMC were able to successfully challenge the zoning board ruling, we believe, after all that has transpired, that it would be a flawed decision for them to move forward with their plans for this religious center.

"This conflict has been defined from day one by a desire to keep a Muslim group out of the area," attorney Roman Storzer said in a statement.

It is unconstitutional to make land-use decisions on religious or racial grounds, so the town could deny the sect's proposal only if it identified legitimate concerns about traffic, infrastructure or planning.

The denial of the parking variance, or the limitation of the parking variance only to Sabbath services and Holy Day observance, would violate the Congregation’s rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the New York Constitution, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (“RLUIPA”), and New York’s civil rights statutes. Such action would expose the Village to years of litigation, potentially millions of dollars in damages and attorneys’ fees, together with a substantial likelihood of eventually allowing the use.

On February 7, 2008, the Walkersville Board of Appeals rejected the application of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community ("AMC") to use a 224-acreparcel of land as a place of worship In agriculturally zoned land that permits such uses by special exception. The Board's deliberations suggested that it was adopting a position that locating on Route 194 was inappropriate for the mosque, even though the State Highway Administration did not list any objections to the plan.

"The Board's decision is both irrational and discriminatory," said attorney Roman Storzer. "Irrational because the suggestion that locating on a smaller country road is better than a major arterial makes no sense from a land use perspective. Discriminatory because this conflict has been defined from day one by a desire to keep a Muslim group out of the area."

David W. Moxley, owner of the Nicodemus Farm, has retained the services of Storzer and Greene, a New York and Washington, D.C. firm that specializes in the statute, known as RLUIPA. Storzer outlined the statute for the board on Jan. 15, and the appeals board on Jan. 16 asked for an
in-depth workshop from O'Connor.

One aspect of the statute that Storzer spelled out, called the "equal terms" provision, states that governments cannot treat non-religious gatherings
more favorably than religious gatherings. "The entire focus of this hearing has been on the one weekend a year event," Storzer said. "And we all know the town has other large events that are hosted here annually."

The valiant efforts of those who want to keep the Muslims out may not count for much in the end. Moxley attorney Roman Storzer cited case after case to support his arguments, including Marks v City of Chesapeake, where a court held that a local government "may not adopt the discriminatory biases of their residential population."

Which is, in part, why residents carefully sidestepped the talk of Muslims, talk that figured prominently in earlier discussions.

Since opponents organized into the for-profit Citizens of Walkersville and procured the talents of a local disability rights lawyer, they've toned down the rhetoric, but too little too late. Their choice of spokesperson doesn't bode well for their image, either. Spotlight-loving Steve Berryman, a Dearbought resident with children in Walkersville schools, is not shy about taking credit for the bloviated anti-Muslim creeds, and photos of hishome-security gun collection that he publishes on the web...

Walkersville's not so different from other small towns feeling invaded by immigrants and overdevelopment. When fear of the unknown is added to the mix, especially one that walks and talks like our country's sworn enemy, some opposition is inevitable.

But that doesn't make it right.

A plan to significantly expand the temple's complex, located off Route 206 at Old Farm Road, has been stalled before the township board ofadjustment for nearly four years. The most controversial element of the plan, a bid to more than double the size of the temple's 9,800-square-foot cultural center, has been rejected by the board three times.

The temple has argued the cultural center is integral to the practice of Hinduism. In July 2007, the temple [represented by S&G] filed a federal case claiming violations of the First and 14th Amendments, as well as the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Under the terms of the proposed agreement, the temple would be allowed to build a 20,500-square-foot cultural center, but would have to agree to a 10-year moratorium on expansion.

The congregation's response, filed last week, says that the village's motion to dismiss is an effort to direct the court's attention away from its complaint, ignoring "the true undercurrent of what is happening in Pomona, where a new administration was elected on a platform ofkeeping the plaintiffs out of the 'close knit community.'"

One of the village's arguments in asking the judge to dismiss the case was that the congregation rushed into court to file the lawsuit without tryingto use available avenues under the village's zoning law.

In the opposition filing, the congregation disagreed with the argument, saying the village is telling Tartikov to "apply for administrative relief that doesn't exist." "This case is about the plaintiff's right to live in a community free from discriminatory, burdensome, and unreasonableregulations, and free to engage in their constitutionally protected religious speech, worship, and education," the document stated.

The issue the District Court did resolve, however, was whether RLUIPA even applied to the facts in this case. The Township attempted to frame their actions as a condemnation proceeding, arguing that RLUIPA does not apply based on cases from other jurisdictions holding that eminent domain is not a land use. The District Court . . . determined that [the] RLUIPA challenge in this case "does not go to the actual taking, but rather to the implementation of the open space plan which is a land use regulation." . . .

Now that the Court has determined that RLUIPA does apply, I predict a settlement will likely be in cards. The Township will otherwise have to take a chance that a Court will find the preservation of environmentally sensitive areas a compelling governmental interest and that this is the least restrictive means of dealing with it. Since the facts are in dispute, unless and until it is sorted out by the trial court, the opinion indicates that it is unclear what the true motivations of the Township might be.

The Citizens for Walkersville testimony continued. Jeff Schouw presented a slide show and video showing Jalsa Salana participants in other countries. Roman P. Storzer, an attorney representing Moxley, asked Schouw why he played the video, which contained flags, a march and voices screaming in a foreign language. Schouw said it demonstrated what could occur in Walkersville if the special exception is granted.

Moxley’s lawyer, Roman P. Storzer, of Washington, D.C.-based Storzer and Greene, is ready to take the town to court if either the Zoning Board of Appeals or the Board of Commissioners denies the Muslims the right to build a retreat center on the farmland, he said.

‘‘If the action is taken to prevent this group from locating there, and litigation ensues, then the town’s administration is going to have to face a jury of its peers and be able to answer for their actions,” Storzer said in a telephone interview.

Whitmore says people who have loved ones fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have reservations about Muslims in the community, and fear remains after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "We're not a very diverse community," the mayor said.

Roman Storzer, a Washington lawyer who represents David Moxley, the owner of the farmland, calls the issue hostile. Moxley is seeking to sell the farmland to the group. "Tender or not, this is one of the most blatant examples of hostility to a particular religious group that I have ever seen," Storzer said.

Roman P. Storzer, a lawyer for the clinic from the firm Storzer & Greene, said his clients were happy with the decision.

"They are very pleased with the outcome and they're looking forward to getting back to what they do best, which is serving the community," Storzer said today.

"My clients are interested in serving the community to the best of their capacities and ... it's a determination that they have to make on the merits of the issue, not based on some spurious complaint by the NAACP," [Storzer] said.

“This complaint should never have been filed,” said Roman P. Storzer, who represented the Clinic pro bono. “The NAACP has done admirable work in pursuit of civil rights. However, religious accommodation benefits, rather than takes away from the laudable goal of diversity in our community.”

Speaking more broadly, the judge upheld the constitutional principle that believers, not bureaucrats, get to decide what their church is supposed to look like.

Bosman ruled the proposed building qualifies as a church because people would gather there to worship. The township's opposition obstructs the church's religious freedom, he wrote. "There is no dispute that the members of (the society) are physically unable to attend worship services in any conventional church," Bosman wrote. "The (township's) action effectively prevents the members ... from worshipping at all.

Before the Holocaust, each Orthodox community had its own beit din religious court that handled issues such as marriage, divorce and financial disputes. Since then, the number of courts has dwindled drastically, and so has the number of rabbis qualified to sit on them. . . .

. . . Once there will be more rabbinical courts and judges, in the community, I'm sure there will be more Jewish people, even not religious, who will start going to rabbinical courts to be judged according to the Halacha."

The college is gearing up for what it expects will be a heated fight for the right to develop the land. It has hired Roman Storzer, an expert on the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which states that municipal regulations cannot impose a substantial burden on religious practices. It also hired John Stepanovich, who has worked on similar cases in Airmont, New York.

• Media Release, Storzer & Greene/The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (July 17, 2006)

• Muslim group sues town over effort to build mosque, Newsday (July 18, 2006)

• Wayne sued by Muslim group, The West Milford Messenger (July 27, 2006)

• Muslim Group Fights for Mosque, The Record (July 19, 2006):

• Muslim group sues N.J. town over effort to build mosque, First Amendment Center (July 19