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Linklaters is proud to announce it has secured a settlement on behalf of Hillside Islamic Center, a mosque in New Hyde Park, New York, resolving Hillside’s civil rights litigation against the Town of North Hempstead. The settlement paves the way for Hillside to expand its mosque to meet the needs of its growing congregation. This is the third consecutive victory secured by Linklaters in religious freedom cases across multiple faiths — Islamic and Jewish — this year alone.
The settlement resolves state and federal litigation brought by Hillside after the Town of North Hempstead denied its proposed expansion in January 2024 despite a prior recommendation for approval by the Town’s planning department in 2023. Hillside challenged the denial as an unlawful infringement on its right to freely exercise its faith, filing claims in federal court under state law and federal civil rights statutes, including the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and the New York and U.S. Constitutions. Under the settlement agreement, the Town will pay a total of $550,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees and costs.
The Linklaters pro bono team was led by Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations Partner Muhammad Faridi with support from Associates Aviva Kushner, Peter Vogel, Matt Cofer, Adam Gould, Sarah Hardtke, Saumya Sinha, and Law Clerk Maria Terrinoni, all based in New York. The team was also assisted by non-lawyer professionals Sophie Balmagiya and JoAnn Caban.
Muhammad Faridi, Partner at Linklaters, said:
“This resolution highlights the fundamental importance of religious freedom, deeply rooted in our nation’s founding principles. We are proud of our client’s perseverance in seeking the equal treatment guaranteed by law. With this settlement, they can finally practice their faith in an adequate house of worship and begin a new chapter in harmony with their neighbors.”
Abdul Aziz Bhuiyan, Chairman of Hillside Islamic Center, said:
“This case has always been about the right to practice our faith openly and without interference. This settlement marks an important step forward — not only for our mosque, but also for the greater Long Island community and houses of worship across all faiths.”
Linklaters has built a strong track record of successful litigation protecting religious freedoms across multiple faiths. This year alone, the team also secured a special use permit approval for the rebuilding of the Saddle Rock Minyan Synagogue in Great Neck, New York and secured a landmark Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act settlement in a DOJ-backed case for Muslims on Long Island in Bethpage, New York. Additionally, the team recently filed an amicus brief in federal appellate court, submitted on behalf of several Muslim civic organizations, addressing the use of land use process to exclude Jewish plaintiffs on account of their religion. The brief emphasized the shared and recurring pattern of discrimination that Jewish and Muslim communities have faced in land use disputes across the country.