Massachusetts

Contentious Muslim Cemetery Granted Permit

A contentious proposal to build a Muslim cemetery in a Massachusetts town has cleared an important hurdle with approval from the community's zoning board. 

The Telegram & Gazette reports that Dudley's Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday approved the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester's plan to develop a cemetery on 55 acres of former farmland under conditions. 

The conditions attached to the board's special permit include a 10-year moratorium on expansion beyond an initial 6-acre cemetery; a vegetated buffer zone; and properly landscaped maintenance. 

The board initially denied the permit and abutters expressed concerns about increased traffic, decreased property values and pollution. 

A lawyer for the Islamic Society said anti-Muslim bias was in part to blame for the opposition. 

The cemetery still needs approval from other town boards. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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