Islamic consultant sues over New Castle YDC sale
Citing “Islamaphobia” in a federal lawsuit, a consulting firm catering to Islamic schools wants a judge to stop the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership from using the Youth Development Center until the case is resolved in court.
Citing “Islamaphobia” in a federal lawsuit, a consulting firm catering to Islamic schools wants a judge to stop the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership from using the Youth Development Center until the case is resolved in court.
HIRA Educational Services of North America has asked for a preliminary injunction barring what the organization calls “discriminatory actions”, including the use of the YDC property as a commercial school for now.
The requested injunction is part of civil lawsuit filed in April by HIRA against officials from Shenango Township, the Lawrence County District Attorney, the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, State Senator Elder Vogel Jr., as well as State Representatives Chris Sainato and Aaron Bernstine.
HIRA claims it was unable to borrow money to close on the deal to buy the YDC property because negative publicity and legal roadblocks allegedly put in place by defendants named in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, HIRA wanted the former juvenile center to open a similar facility with a heavier focus on youth intervention, as well as an Islamic boarding school.
HIRA says the boarding school would not have been used for refugees, “as the Defendants subsequently, and wrongly, assumed.”
People who packed into a June 8 meeting of the Shenango Township Supervisors were screened with metal detectors.
Several expressed concerns, as outlined below in the lawsuit:
Local news reports and the meeting’s minutes note comments by the townspeople, such as claiming (without basis in fact) Plaintiff is part of the “Muslim Brotherhood,” asking “will a mosque be built,” and saying “we gotta work together, and we gotta make sure that we are alert to know what is our enemy, what is built around us.”
The lawsuit says Representatives Bernstine, Sainato and a representative from Sen. Vogel's office attended a June 23 public meeting where Bernstine told the crowd of 25 that “any national security-type information we have received has been sent to Rep. Kelly’s office”.
At the same meeting, the lawsuit says that Bruce Leonatti of the group Act for America told the crowd that he thinks HIRA planned to become an immigration refugee contractor that “can bring in thousands of refugees if they have a facility to house them.”
Referencing a press release sent out later addressing some of the plans for the property, the lawsuit says HIRA CEO Asif Kunwar did not feel comfortable describing plans for a religious boarding school due to what it characterized as “intense Islamaphobia openly expressed in the community.”
Shenango Township subsequently changed the zoning on the property to prohibit commercial schools.
Senator Vogel introduced a resolution passed by the Senate which the lawsuit says would have retroactively prohibited the Pennsylvania Department of General Services from selling the YDC.
The suit says that in July, the Lawrence County District Attorney opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the recent purchase of the Lawrence County Youth Development Center.
When the August deadline came to pay the $360,000 balance on the YDC purchase, HIRA said it could not make the payment due to the actions of those named in the lawsuit, since no banks or lending institutions would loan money while litigation involving the sale of the property remained pending.
The property was eventually sold to the Lawrence County Community Action Partnership for $2 million.
The lawsuit says that Representatives Bernstine and Sainato promised to work with LCCAP to ensure the agency secured the funding.
“At the risk of understatement, this is inconsistent with the Defendants’ treatment of Plaintiff’s prior winning bid. Defendants actively worked to prevent Plaintiff from securing funds to realize Plaintiff’s plans,” according to HIRA's lawsuit.
The LCCAP says it plans to redevelop the site to include a county-wide STEM program for school districts, special student needs programs, a primary health clinic or urgent care facility, a new bus facility, a file storage facility, a greenhouse programs for students, a gym, a swimming pool, an auditorium, community space, and short-term housing for fire victims.
HIRA's lawsuit points out that several of the LCCAP's intended uses are similar to those proposed by HIRA, “and also violate the zoning ordinance in place at the time of LCCAP’s bid.”
The lawsuit claims the defendant's actions violate the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, as well as the Pennsylvania Religious Freedom Protection Act.
No date has been set for a hearing on the suit.
The original complaint by be seen here
