Alabama Rejects Plan to Build Large Muslim School and Prayer Center in 7-0 Vote After Packed Hearing with Nearly 200 Furious Residents
Joana Campos
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 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.
đ¨ 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