Support and Fear of the Masjid: Tensions in Relocation

Somali Muslims at the masjid often described facing fear and distrust, as well as support and goodwill, from non-Somalis in Faribault. Teenage girls talked about the Islamophobia, racism, and bullying they faced at Faribault High School (for more on this, see Finding a Home in Faribault). A more public instance of tensions between Somalis and other Faribault residents centered around the masjid and its move to its current site.

In June 2013, the Faribault Planning Commission temporarily tabled the masjid’s proposed move to Division Street, which required a permit and the rezoning of the Marathon Multimedia building so that it could be used as worship space.¹ According to the Faribault Daily News, the Commission agreed to rezone the site, but delayed issuing the permit, citing logistical concerns over such things as snow removal plans, as well as the neighbors’ worries about traffic in the area and use of the building at later hours of the day.² An op-ed piece by Jaci Smith in the Daily News questioned the Commission’s motives, saying they seemed “a bit spurious.” Smith noted that the building had been in regular use and already had plans for such things as snow removal, and asked, in response to the neighbors’ concerns, “How many churches do you know of [that] bleed light pollution into the surrounding neighborhood?”.³ In the original article, the Daily News had quoted Stewart Shaft, whose family built the Division Street building, about his discomfort with the use of the building as a masjid: “I’m struggling with this…I’ll be disappointed that the city will be taking this off the tax rolls. I’ll be disappointed that this building will not be employing people.”⁴

At the Planning Commission’s next meeting, the Commission stressed that it was not treating the masjid differently from other applicants, and approved the masjid’s revised building plan.⁵ The City Council also approved the move, although the same neighbors came to this meeting to protest the increased nighttime traffic they feared. ⁶  The move proceeded in July without reported incident. This conflict, although relatively minor, hints at deeper tensions. In response to these tensions, people at the masjid often went out of their way to describe Islam to outsiders as a “religion of peace.”