A ritzy Long Island town has agreed to pay $3.95 million and approve a mosque’s expansion just weeks after admitting to inventing a fake grandmother to block the project in court.
The settlement, filed in federal court this week, ends a contentious legal battle between Muslims on Long Island Inc. and the wealthy North Shore town of Oyster Bay in a case that drew scrutiny from the Justice Department and exposed how Bethpage officials allegedly weaponized zoning laws and even manufactured testimony to kill the project.
Under the agreement, the town will green-light the Masjid Al-Baqi mosque’s submitted plan to demolish two one-story buildings and build a larger house of worship, repeal a 2022 parking law that more than doubled space requirements for houses of worship, and pay nearly $4 million in damages and attorneys’ fees.
The Town Board must sign off within 10 days.
“We are grateful to put this chapter behind us and to move forward in partnership with our neighbors,” Moeen Qureshi, a plaintiff in the case, said.
“Our new mosque will be a place where everyone — regardless of faith — will be welcome.”
The mosque’s application was first filed in 2018, but was repeatedly stalled, according to attorneys for the house of worship.
In court, Oyster Bay officials admitted their supposed star witness — a grandmother in an SUV, allegedly trapped by worshippers’ cars — was a hoax.
“This grandmother doesn’t exist,” attorney Peter Vogel previously told The Post.
“She is a figment of the Town’s imagination.”
The Justice Department also backed the mosque earlier this year, warning Oyster Bay’s parking code treated MOLI “less favorably” than comparable places such as theaters, libraries and museums.
As part of the deal, the mosque agreed to measures addressing some of the town’s safety concerns, including encouraging congregants to use legal parking, such as the nearby Long Island Rail Road lot, and assisting worshippers crossing busy roads during peak prayer times.
“This is a day of new beginnings,” said Qureshi, a volunteer at Masjid Al-Baqi.
“Our doors will always be open to the community, and we hope our mosque will be a place where people come together in friendship and mutual respect.”
The case was headed for trial in October, but Oyster Bay’s decision to settle effectively conceded their fight after months of damaging revelations — and just three weeks after The Post exposed the town’s fake grandma.
“This agreement resolves outstanding planning concerns and allows us to move forward in good faith as one community,” Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said about the settlement.
“The Town of Oyster Bay has and always will respect the rights of all faith communities,” he added.
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