An Oklahoma state legislator is calling on residents to pray after local planning officials advanced a proposal for a large development in northeastern Oklahoma that would include a mosque and commercial facilities.
Officials in Broken Arrow, the largest suburb of Tulsa, voted on Dec. 18 to preliminarily rezone about 15 acres of land to allow for a retail center and mosque, following lengthy public testimony, according to local broadcaster KJRH-TV.
The Broken Arrow Planning Commission granted initial approval during a regularly scheduled meeting, with over 60 residents signing up to speak. Most speakers voiced opposition, citing concerns about how the project could affect the surrounding community.
Planning Commission Chair Robert Goransson emphasized that the vote focused solely on zoning feasibility and technical planning considerations, not cultural or religious implications. Nevertheless, many residents framed their objections around broader community impact.
Before the vote, Republican state Rep. Gabe Woolley, who attended the meeting, pointed to an “In God We Trust” display inside the 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,” Woolley 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.”
After the commission approved the rezoning request, Woolley voiced heightened concern about the project’s trajectory, writing, “This is not the direction many of us want to see our state or nation heading. Please seek discernment and strategy in prayer.”
City records show the land was purchased in 2014 by the North American Islamic Trust.
NAIT, established in 1973 by the Muslim Students’ Association of the United States and Canada and affiliated with the Islamic Society of North America, holds property titles in more than 40 states, according to its website.
Community leaders estimate that up to 10,000 Muslims reside in the greater Tulsa area, based on figures from the Islamic Center of Tulsa.
The proposal has not yet received final approval. The matter now moves to the Broken Arrow City Council, which has scheduled a special meeting for Jan. 20, 2026, to consider the rezoning request and associated conditional use permits.
