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The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously rejected last week the proposal to convert a 100,000-square-foot office building in the Meadowbrook Corporate Park into an Islamic K-12 school and Muslim prayer center.

The The 7-0 vote, following a packed hearing with nearly 200 furious residents, sends the rejection to the City Council for a final decision in January, prioritizing the preservation of local identity over expansions that threaten economic development and cultural cohesion.

🚨 BREAKING: In an incredible victory, FURIOUS Alabama town REJECTS a plan to build a large Muslim school.

Residents fear becoming the next Dearborn.

Hoover residents showed up EN MASSE, and told their officials to vote down the Muslim center.

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT!

"THANK… pic.twitter.com/5YwThGhfOC

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 4, 2025

The proposal now goes to the City Council.The Islamic Academy of Alabama, which has 265 students in Homewood since 1995 and is linked to the Islamic Society of Birmingham, sought to relocate to serve its 40 % Hoover-based students.

However, residents like Jeff Wilson, who started a petition with more than 1,700 signatures, argued that it’s not about religion but about unsustainable traffic on the already congested Highway 119.

The Islamic Academy of Alabama was met with opposition at Hoover's Planning and Zoning meeting. Residents spoke on traffic issues, sticking to the comprehensive plan, and other reasons why they are against it moving to the city.
It's currently in Homewood.@abc3340 pic.twitter.com/3jWNDrz20N

— Megan Scarano ABC 33/40 (@MScaranoNews) December 2, 2025

“It took 18 minutes for two miles,” Wilson complained, pointing out the six nearby schools serving 5,631 students that turn the road into a “permanent parking lot,” according to Meadowbrook neighbor Nancy Cooper.

Fear of a demographic transformation similar to Dearborn, Michigan – where the majority Muslim population has altered local dynamics – dominated the public comments.

Other neighbors were even more concerned about the Islamization of America.

A Hoover woman who said she recently moved to the United States from the United Kingdom argued that Muslims do not assimilate well into other countries’ cultures, saying that the British went to great lengths to accommodate the demands of the Muslim community and that it ended up negatively affecting the community as a whole.

Another man said that introducing an Islamic school and community center in the Hoover community would only attract more foreigners to the city and cause an influx of people who would create problems.

One woman even held up a sign that read “Stop the 100-Year Plan.” The sign referred to an alleged Muslim Brotherhood plan to infiltrate Western countries and impose Sharia law.

The rejection contrasts with past approvals of Christian churches in similar zones, fueling debates about religious freedom under the Religious Land Use Act.

This rejection not only defends traffic and growth – but the cultural sovereignty of conservative communities against progressive agendas that dilute traditional values.

This is how it’s done, Alabama!

About The Author Joana Campos

Joana Campos es abogada y editora con más de 10 años de experiencia en la gestión de proyectos de desarrollo internacional, enfocada en la sostenibilidad y el impacto social positivo. Anteriormente, trabajó como abogada corporativa. Egresada de la Universidad de Guadalajara.