Feds will release Manassas-bound tiles, Muslim organization says
MANASSAS, Va. - The Treasury Department has agreed to release 750 pounds in Quranic tiles that were donated to a mosque in Manassas, a Muslim organization said on Tuesday.
The tiles – which will decorate a "mihrab," or niche at the mosque – were held up at Dulles International Airport because of restrictions involving items shipped from Iran.
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According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, customs officials were threatening to destroy the tiles.
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"Thank God the tiles were not re-exported and the verses of the Quran were not destroyed, and they were instead released for delivery to our mosque," said Imam Abu Nahidian of Manassas Mosque.
Federal officials have not indicated what prompted them to release the tiles.