Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

Litigation

In 2003, when the Boston Herald newspaper attacked various members of the ISBCC leadership, Mr. Farrah supervised the response efforts. A year later, when Fox News joined in the attack upon the ISB, Mr. Farrah assembled a team of attorneys who responded to that attack and filed defamation lawsuits. Discovery in that litigation demonstrated that behind the scenes of the media attacks were persons and organizations determined to stop the building of the Cultural Center and Mosque, who, in the furtherance of that effort had identified and counseled an area resident to file a lawsuit against the ISB and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

In that suit the neighbor claimed the process by which the ISB was designated redeveloper of land in Roxbury on which the ISBCC was being built was unconstitutional, impermissibly linking church and state. Mr. Farrah acted as counsel to the ISB in defending this litigation and successfully secured the dismissal of that lawsuit on summary judgment. Policastro v. ISB, et al, Suffolk Superior Court. After the Policastro lawsuit was dismissed and it was clear that the ISBCC would be built, the parties settled all outstanding litigation, paving the way for the completion of construction. In 2008 the ISBCC officially opened. At over 50,000 square feet in size, it is the largest mosque and cultural center in New England and stands as a beacon to religious tolerance and interfaith activities.