STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. Its the beginning of a new day for local mosque in Sterling Heights. Its an institute of a mosque, educational social, sports center on this piece of land, said Sam Sobh with the American Islamic Community Center (AICC). Its essential that were close to the community and we have a small center in Madison Heights, so we needed a bigger piece of land, he said. In 2018, seven Sterling Heights residents filed a lawsuit opposing the construction of a mosque in their largely Chaldean Christian neighborhood. Later, the city of Sterling Heights decided to enter into a consent judgement that granted AICC permission to build the mosque even though doing so violated the citys zoning ordinance.