Alabama Islamic School Withdraws Relocation After Senator Calls Islam a ‘Cult’ and Commission Denies Zoning Request
The Islamic Academy of Alabama abandoned plans to relocate from Homewood to Hoover after the city’s planning commission unanimously rejected its zoning request and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville publicly labeled Islam a “cult” and vowed to block Islamic schools in Alabama if elected governor, according to multiple Alabama news outlets. The 30-year-old K-12 institution withdrew its application on December 8, 2025, following a contentious December 1 zoning hearing where opponents held anti-Islam signs and voiced conspiracy theories, while the school cited safety concerns for students and staff.
Unanimous Zoning Denial Amid Hostile Opposition
The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 on December 1 to recommend denial of the Islamic Academy’s request to convert a 100,000-square-foot vacant office building in Meadowbrook Corporate Park into a school facility, ABC 33/40 reported. City Planner Mac Martin told the commission that the proposed use did not align with Hoover’s comprehensive plan for the area, which envisions a “tech village” with offices, research firms, restaurants, and retail rather than educational institutions.
Martin also cited inconsistencies in traffic studies and capacity projections submitted by the academy, according to ABC 33/40. However, the meeting room was packed with community members—most speaking in opposition—and several held signs against the Islamic school’s relocation, Yellowhammer News and ABC 33/40 reported.
School administrator Stacy Abdein expressed concern that many objections were “unrelated to zoning criteria and instead reflected harmful stereotypes and conspiracy theories about Muslims and Islamic institutions,” according to a statement published by ABC 33/40. The academy emphasized that it has operated in the Greater Birmingham community for nearly three decades without incident and sought the relocation to offer modern facilities for advanced learning in science, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Tuberville’s Inflammatory Rhetoric Escalates Controversy
One day after the zoning denial, Senator Tuberville appeared on Infowars, a conspiracy-oriented platform, and described Islam as a “cult” that poses a danger to America, the Alabama Reporter and AL.com reported. Tuberville claimed that Islam “preaches hate” and instructs followers to “kill all infidels” and “kill all Christians,” according to the Alabama Reporter.
“If you believe in the Quran and go by Sharia law and want to chant death to America and teach that nonsense in these schools, I don’t want you here,” Tuberville said in a separate interview with Right Side Radio, according to WVTM 13.
Tuberville, considered the front-runner to be Alabama’s next governor, also vowed to prevent Islamic schools from operating in Alabama if elected. “If I am the future governor in Alabama, I will be damned if we’re going to do that in the state of Alabama,” he stated, according to AL.com.
School Withdraws Amid Safety Concerns
Following Tuberville’s comments, the Islamic Academy of Alabama notified Hoover city officials on December 8 that it was withdrawing its application, ending the matter, AL.com and the Alabama Reporter confirmed. In a statement, Abdein said students were “confused” and “hurt” by the hostile rhetoric and emphasized that the school teaches students to “love their neighbors, value diversity, uphold justice, and contribute positively to society,” according to AL.com and WVTM 13.
Tanveer Patel, a Muslim Republican who ran for Hoover City Council earlier in 2025, rejected Tuberville’s characterizations. “Sharia isn’t a legal code, it’s a moral compass, just like Christian ethics or the Ten Commandments,” Patel told the Alabama Reporter. “Our community is peaceful, educated, and civically engaged. There is simply no factual basis for treating Muslims as a threat.”
National Context and Future Implications
The controversy is part of a broader trend in which Republican officials have targeted Muslim communities and institutions, including legislative proposals by Tuberville to make advocacy for Sharia law grounds for deportation or denial of entry to the United States, the Alabama Reporter noted. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned Tuberville’s statements as anti-Muslim and requested he visit an Alabama mosque, though he has not responded.
The Islamic Academy continues to operate at its Homewood location, where it provides accredited Pre-K through 12th-grade education, according to ABC 33/40 and other outlets. School officials said they remain committed to dialogue grounded in “respect, facts, and a shared desire to strengthen our community for all families.”