Okla. lawmaker urges constituents to pray after massive Islamic development gets preliminary OK
An Oklahoma state lawmaker is urging his constituents to turn to prayer after city planning officials gave preliminary approval to a massive development in northern Oklahoma that includes a mosque and a retail center.
City officials in Broken Arrow, the largest suburb of Tulsa, voted Dec. 18 to approve rezoning 15 acres of land for a proposed retail center and mosque, following hours of public comment from residents, according to local news outlet KJRH -TV.
The Broken Arrow Planning Commission gave preliminary approval to the construction proposal at the commission’s regular meeting, where more than 60 people signed up to speak over the course of the four-hour meeting — the majority of whom said they opposed the project.
Robert Goransson, chair of the Planning Commission, clarified the vote was strictly on the feasibility of the construction plans and “not the cultural ramifications,” he said.
Explaining his vote in favor, Planning Commission member Jason Coan said he considered property rights when casting his vote. "With a lot of comments that have been made, if it was your religious organization trying to build a temple, how would you feel about having your rights denied?” he said. “You all have the right to do what you want with your land as long as [it] meets the criteria set by [the] city and government."
But most attendees were concerned about the impact on their community.
"I have a daughter who is 15 years old,” one resident said. “I don't want this ideology imposed on her."
A supporter of the project told the commission, "Our Muslim neighbors are already part of the heartbeat of this community we call Green Country. They are teachers, doctors, business owners and parents.”
The land for the proposed development was purchased in 2014 by the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), according to city records. Founded in 1973 by the Muslim Students’ Association of the United States and Canada (MSA) and affiliated with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), NAIT holds title deeds to properties in more than 40 states, according to the NAIT website.
As many as 10,000 Muslims live in the greater Tulsa area, according to the Islamic Center of Tulsa.
Ahead of the commission vote, Republican Oklahoma state Rep. Gabe Woolley, who was on hand for the meeting, noted an “In God We Trust” display in the Broken Arrow Planning Commission’s meeting room.
"Those words reflect a government meant to be submitted to and established upon the God of the Bible — the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” he wrote on Dec. 18. “This statement once carried a strong & clear meaning. I pray we can restore that to America on all levels of government.”
Following the commission’s vote, however, Woolley struck a more concerned note: “This is not the direction many of us want to see our state or nation heading. Please seek discernment and strategy in prayer.”
The final decision rests with the Broken Arrow City Council, which has scheduled a special meeting for Jan. 20, 2026, to consider the rezoning and conditional use permit applications.
