Tuesday 04/November/2025 – 12:12 PM
The town of Oster Bay on New York City’s Gold Coast section of Long Island has agreed to allow the expansion of a local mosque, ending a long court battle that cost taxpayers more than $4 million, according to the New York Post.
Decision to expand a mosque in New York
The Town Council voted six-to-one last week to end the federal lawsuit filed by the Long Island Muslim Community against the council, paving the way for the group to build a modified version of the Al-Baqi Mosque expansion project in the Bethpage area.
A town spokesman said the move represents a reasonable compromise that balances safety requirements, quality of life and mutual respect among all Bethpage residents.
For their part, the worshipers expressed their relief at the end of the crisis, stressing that the doors of the mosque will remain open to everyone and that they hope that the mosque will be a center for rapprochement and understanding within the local community.
The town of Bethpage was scheduled to pay about $3.95 million in legal fees before reaching the settlement, while Oster Bay itself has incurred nearly an additional $400,000 since last January, when a Muslim group in the city filed the lawsuit accusing town officials of passing laws specifically targeting the mosque, according to municipal records.
During the case sessions, local officials admitted under oath that they had fabricated a fictitious grandmother’s testimony, claiming that she was unable to drive her car in the neighborhood’s streets due to traffic congestion during prayer. They also hired a traffic expert described in the case as a fanatic, before later admitting that they had deliberately targeted the mosque through new urban planning laws, according to court documents.
The settlement came less than 24 hours before the start of the trial, and stipulated allowing the expansion of the mosque to an area of 9,950 square feet, that is, about 1,100 square feet less than the original plan, while reducing the capacity to 295 worshipers instead of 464, that is, a reduction of 36%.
The new agreement resolves planning issues and allows the group to move forward as one, with a smaller building, fewer attendees, traffic safety improvements, increased on-site parking and a shared commitment to safety, quality of life and mutual respect, Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said.
An independent arbitrator is scheduled to determine the amount the Long Island Muslim Community will receive in compensation for attorney’s fees, which will also be paid with taxpayer money.
