An Alabama town angrily shot down plans to build a Muslim school in their area, with locals citing the 'cultural takeover' of Muslims in a Michigan city and as far away as the UK.

Residents of Hoover in suburban Birmingham showed up in force at a zoning commission meeting Monday as the board voted on whether to allow the Islamic Academy to transform a local office building into a school and community center.

Around 170 locals attended the meeting, with many opposing a motion to move the existing Islamic Academy in Homewood to Hoover. 

Citing traffic concerns and questioning the long-term use of the site, the commission unanimously denied the zoning request, AL.com reported. The crowd erupted in applause as the council voted against the request. 

While residents agreed with the board's reasons for denial, there was also heavy discussion about cultural and religious concerns. 

Some locals were fearful that the proposed K-12 school would transform Hoover into a Muslim society. 

Protesters lined the meeting room holding signs and posters, including some reading 'Stop the 100 year plan,' a reference to a conspiracy theory that Muslims are trying to take over American institutions. 

Another local held a sign reading, 'Give an inch - Dearborn Michigan,' in reference to the city with a large Muslim population and Arab-American majority city leadership, AL.com reported. 

In 2022, Dearborn elected its first Muslim mayor, 33-year-old Abdullah Hammoud, stoking protests including a Quran-burning attempt. 

This year, Hammoud was reelected with 71 percent of the vote on a platform of diversity and a welcoming community. 

Some Hoover residents claimed that having the school would deter business development in the area. 

'You're going to have real problems with this community, I'm just telling you now,' local Bruce Davis said.

'There's going to be an influx of other people that are going to create a problem for this community and we might as well just face it.' 

Another woman in the audience said bluntly: 'Stay in Homewood.'

Homewood has been home to the Islamic Academy of Alabama since 1995, with around 260 students, according to lawyer Lucas Gambio, AL.com reported. 

'Our plan was consistent all along. We're not here to trick anybody. We're not here to mislead anybody,' Gambio said. 

Other concerns stemmed from traffic congestion in an already high-density area, as well as property values and the project's potential effects on future zoning. 

A final residential speaker cited what was referred to as a 'long-term cultural takeover' by Muslims in Great Britain, drawing heavy applause at the meeting.

'I was shocked to witness the land that gave us the King James Bible, supposedly a Christian nation, overwhelmingly being taken over,' the speaker said, according to 1819 News news.  

'I witnessed in the United Kingdom, especially, in Manchester, Birmingham, London, that the multiculturism did not work.

'The Muslims did not assimilate. In fact, the Brits bent backwards to accommodate their demands over and over, again, to the level of feeling the second-class citizens in their own country.

Commission Chairman Mike Wood eventually interrupted the speaker, saying she was veering off topic, which the crowd loudly objected to. 

'We are here to look at whether this school was appropriately placed,' Wood said. 'We're not here for that. I'm sorry. We're not going to listen to that.'

The commission's denial now awaits the City Council's final vote on the project. 

In response to the denial, school administrator Stacy Abdein said in a statement to the Daily Mail: 'We value open dialogue and believe communities thrive when discussions are guided by mutual respect and accurate information.

'Unfortunately, many objections raised were unrelated to zoning criteria and instead reflected harmful stereotypes and conspiracy theories about Muslims and Islamic institutions.'

These inaccurate remarks go against the principles of fairness, inclusion, and religious freedom that guide our community and our country,' she continued. 

'Our school is built on a strong commitment to education and community. The negative characterizations of our school, students, and community are rooted in false assumptions, misinformation, and fear.'

In August, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato condemned threats from the public toward Muslim City Council candidate Tanveer Patel, saying: 'We will not let hate win.'

Patel, who immigrated from India in 1990, said comments on social media included death threats, slurs and other hateful speech that was 'frightening' and 'heartbreaking.' 

In March, the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a report that found Islamophobia was on the rise across the US.

The council received 8,658 complaints in 2024, up more than seven percent from 2023 and the highest number received since the organization's first report in 1996, according to the council's website.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission for comment.