Excerpt:
The zoning dispute between Lilburn and a local Muslim congregation started at the mostly nondescript corner of Lawrenceville Highway and Hood Road in 2009 and gradually made its way to Washington, D.C.
When it was finally over in mid-August, the Gwinnett town of 12,000 residents had spent tens of thousands of dollars defending itself in court, earned a reputation as a hotbed of religious intolerance and remained divided about whether the fight was worth the expense and trouble.
As part of a public records request, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reviewed hundreds of emails and city records related to the zoning dispute spanning more than two years. The documents reveal the pressure city leaders faced in and out of City Hall, from residents upset about the prospect of living next to a large mosque to Department of Justice attorneys who suspected discrimination in the process.