By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – The head of a statewide Islamic advocacy group Wednesday questioned whether Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s decision to investigate a proposed mosque was a proper use of his office and taxpayer dollars.
Veronica Laizure, Council on American-Islamic Relations Oklahoma executive director, called the attorney general’s plans to use state resources to investigate a proposed mosque in Broken Arrow a “publicity stunt” and “witch hunt” by Drummond, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor.
Drummond on Wednesday issued a press release saying his office would investigate whether the proposed mosque and retail development in Broken Arrow complies with state and federal law and its funding.
“Given the realities of global terrorism, there can be no compromise on public safety and security,” Drummond said. “In our state, we have already seen a radical Islamist sentenced for plotting mass murder. Several 9/11 hijackers had attended an Oklahoma flight school. It is only appropriate to act with caution when the project in question might have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.”
The Islamic Society of Tulsa is seeking permission from Broken Arrow city leaders to open a 42,000-square-foot community center. It would include a worship area, public medical clinic and retail space.
The mosque is to be built on 15 acres south of the Creek Turnpike along Olive Avenue.
The Broken Arrow Planning Commission approved a rezoning request. The Broken Arrow City Council is set to take up the issue next week. The land was purchased in 2014 by the North American Islamic Trust.
Drummond said the North American Islamic Trust “reportedly has ties to the radical Muslim Brotherhood.” The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is an Islamic political movement. President Donald Trump last year created a process to designate certain chapters as foreign terrorist organizations.
Drummond did not provide proof of the Oklahoma group’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood in his press release, but also said there are questions about the project’s ownership structure, governance and financing.
Drummond’s decision to invest the proposed mosque “mirrors a broader pattern of anti-Muslim initiatives we are seeing from public officials in multiple states,” Laizure said.
Laizure questioned whether Drummond had launched any similar investigations into other places of worship in Broken Arrow or elsewhere in the state.
“If not, that would seem like a pretty targeted attack on the Muslim community of Tulsa,” Laizure said.
She said there are many other concerns Drummond could address rather than the construction of an above-board and transparent house of worship for a minority faith community.
The Council on American Islamic Relations is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.
Unrelated anti-Islamic remarks Drummond made in June drew pushback from a variety of sectors.
Drummond said Afghan evacuees that have resettled in Oklahoma should be sent back.
Tens of thousands of Afghan refugees were resettled in the United States after military forces pulled out of the country. Many of those relocated had assisted the U.S. military.
Drummond, a pilot, served in the Gulf War and participated in the first combat mission of Operation Desert Storm.
