MERIDEN, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut mosque is alleging in a federal lawsuit that its First Amendment right to religious freedom was violated when a city denied its bid to move to a new location.

The Record-Journal reports that the Omar Islamic Center filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court this month challenging the Meriden Planning Commission's March 13 unanimous vote to deny a special permit the mosque sought to relocate from Middletown to a much larger facility in Meriden.

The lawsuit alleges the Planning Commission "deprived the center of its right to the free exercise of religion."

Among the reasons for the denial, the commission said the area where the mosque wanted to move was zoned for industrial, office and commercial use.

Michael Quinn, a city attorney, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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Information from: Record-Journal, http://www.record-journal.com