Salam Fitness Opening Raises Membership Questions; Mayor Nelson’s Response Leaves Access Unclear

Salam Fitness Opening Raises Membership Questions; Mayor Nelson’s Response Leaves Access Unclear

As Franklin’s Islamic campus expands, Nelson’s Facebook response does not clarify whether non-Muslims may join the fitness center. Promotional materials welcome the community to an October 31–November 1 open house.

By Dr. Richard A. Busalacchi
Franklin Community News

Salam Fitness & Aquatics is preparing to welcome visitors to the former Innovative Health and Fitness facility at 8800 S.102nd Street in Franklin.

The opening adds fitness and recreation amenities to the Islamic Society of Milwaukee’s expanding Franklin campus. It has also prompted questions about who may become a member, a contentious Facebook discussion and renewed attention to the city approvals and political relationships surrounding the development.

The promotional materials reviewed by Franklin Community News advertise an open house and bazaar on Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, from noon to 5 p.m.

They do not conclusively answer whether people who are not Muslim may purchase ongoing memberships.

What the Announcements Say

The club’s Instagram announcement describes a “new private community gym” and invites the “entire Milwaukee Muslim community” to its open house.

Advertised amenities include private men’s and women’s workout areas, a lap pool, an activity pool, a hot tub, designated prayer areas, babysitting, children’s programs and fitness classes.

The event will feature food trucks, vendors, henna, children’s activities and giveaways. Promotional materials offer 50% off the first month of membership for people joining onsite.

A separate promotional reel published by Shako Mako MKE states that “the whole community is invited” to the open house. Its caption lists salamfitness@ismonline.org as the contact for prospective vendors and sponsors.

The Instagram announcement describes approximately 55,000 square feet; the reel describes 54,000 square feet across two stories.

Neither caption expressly states whether religious affiliation is a membership requirement. The description “private community fitness center” does not, by itself, explain eligibility or establish the operation’s legal status.

ISM Describes a Campus Serving the Broader Community

The Islamic Society of Milwaukee’s website provides additional context.

Its history page states that the organization purchased the former theater and other Franklin properties encompassing approximately 25 acres in spring 2024 for a new Salam High School campus and community center.

The planned facilities include a 550-seat auditorium, a mosque and an athletic facility. ISM says the completed campus will “serve the entire Muslim community, including the community at large.” That statement describes the broader campus rather than specific fitness-center membership requirements.

FCN did not locate an explicit fitness-center eligibility policy in the ISM website materials reviewed. 

City Approvals During Nelson’s Administration

Local reporting in 2024 described ISM’s purchase of the former Showtime Cinema property as a $3.2 million transaction involving approximately 13 acres. ISM’s approximately 25-acre figure encompasses the theater and additional properties together.

City planning materials subsequently described a proposed school serving approximately 600 students, a prayer hall accommodating approximately 5,000 people, a gymnasium and an auditorium. Those documents describe proposed components rather than confirmation that every part has been completed.

Franklin’s official minutes identify several related actions during Mayor John Nelson’s administration:

Date	Council action	Motion and second	Outcome
October 15, 2024	Ordinance 2024-2643 concerning the former cinema property	Peccarelli moved; Hasan seconded	Unanimous approval
July 21, 2026	Ordinance 2026-2743 concerning properties including 8800 and 8910 S. 102nd Street and 10525 W. Loomis Road	Eichmann moved; Salous seconded	Unanimous approval
July 21, 2026	Resolution 2026-8500 concerning a one-lot certified survey map for the cinema and Loomis Road properties	Eichmann moved; Johnson seconded	Approved 5–1; Kresovic opposed

Nelson presided at the October 2024 meeting. These records identify who introduced and seconded the council actions. They do not establish that the city approved a religious restriction on fitness-center membership.

A Facebook Question Becomes a Heated Exchange

The facility became the subject of a discussion in the Franklin Area Community Page Facebook group after Michelle Brown asked whether anyone knew about Salam Fitness & Aquatics. She explained that she could find a social media page but no website.

Screenshots reviewed by FCN show participants questioning whether non-Muslims could join. Some referenced the Instagram announcement. Others asserted that the gym was exclusively for Muslims without providing a membership agreement or confirmation from an identified operator.

When a commenter asked how the Common Council would respond to an aquatic center excluding Muslims, Nelson replied:

“Anyone could have purchased the property OR can open an aquatic center,” he wrote, concluding with “racism ??????”

That response addressed the opportunity to purchase property or open a business. It did not answer whether non-Muslims could purchase memberships at this facility.

The discussion also included sweeping attacks on Muslims and a separate exchange involving conspiracy claims about control of government and banks. Other participants challenged those statements. Sheryl Kropf Cerniglia described particular comments as racist, and another participant asked moderators to close the comments.

Questions about membership eligibility deserve factual answers. Attacks on an entire religious community are a separate matter.

According to information provided to FCN, the discussion was removed on October 24. The screenshots preserve portions of the exchange but do not establish who removed it or why.

What Wisconsin Law Requires

Wisconsin’s public-accommodation law generally prohibits discrimination based on religion, identified in the statute as “creed.” The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development specifically lists fitness centers among facilities that can qualify as public accommodations.

Prohibited conduct includes denying equal enjoyment, providing discriminatory preferential treatment and advertising that a protected class is excluded.

The law also contains an exception for qualifying bona fide private, nonprofit organizations or institutions when providing services only to members and specified guests. Whether an organization qualifies depends on its actual structure and operations. Wisconsin’s statutory annotations identify genuine selectivity in membership as an especially important factor.

Wisconsin courts have applied that exception to a private nonprofit recreational club. That does not establish that Salam qualifies for the same treatment. Religious ownership, membership fees and the word “private” do not, standing alone, resolve the question.

The materials reviewed by FCN establish neither an explicit exclusion of non-Muslims nor whether the fitness operation qualifies for an applicable exception.

Political Outreach Predates the Opening

Earlier FCN coverage reported Nelson, Supervisor Steve Taylor, and Alderwoman Michelle Eichmann attending the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance’s annual iftar on February 22, 2026. 

 

The Alliance’s spring 2026 endorsement slate included Nelson for mayor; Danelle Kenney and Yousef Hasan for Franklin Common Council; Khan for Milwaukee County Supervisor District 9; Mary S. Yank for Franklin School Board; and Genene Hibbler and Sheryl Cerniglia for the Oak Creek–Franklin School Board.

The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance and the Islamic Society of Milwaukee are separate organizations. Their decisions and activities should not be attributed to one another without supporting evidence.

These appearances and endorsements document political outreach and support across local races. They do not establish how individual Muslim residents voted or an agreement concerning the Franklin campus.

Campaign Contributions and the Sarsour Connection

Nelson’s spring 2026 pre-election campaign finance report, reviewed by FCN, lists $735 from Suhail Sarsour on February 16 and $735 from Eman Sarsour on March 12, totaling $1,470.

Both contributions preceded Salah Sarsour’s March 30 detention by federal immigration authorities.

FCN previously reported a possible extended-family connection between the donors and Salah Sarsour, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. However, the materials reviewed do not establish their precise relationships. Shared surnames and aggregated public-record associations are insufficient to establish a particular family relationship.

The campaign filing identifies the contributors. It does not establish that Salah Sarsour supplied the funds or personally donated. The records reviewed also do not establish a connection between either contribution and a particular city development approval.

Sarsour’s Separate Immigration Case

Salah Sarsour’s immigration proceedings have continued since his March detention.

A federal judge ordered his release in June after finding substantial support for his First Amendment retaliation claim at that stage of the case. That ruling did not finally resolve the immigration proceedings.

In September, an immigration judge found Sarsour removable on foreign-policy grounds while rejecting the government’s allegation that he lied on his green-card application. Further proceedings and legal challenges remained, according to subsequent reporting.

The Membership Question Remains

ISM’s website describes a campus serving the Muslim community and the community at large. The promotional reel welcomes the whole community to the open house. Those statements provide important context alongside the earlier announcement directed toward the Milwaukee Muslim community.

The remaining questions are specific: Can a non-Muslim purchase a membership? Is religious affiliation an eligibility requirement? Which legal entity operates the gym, and how is membership structured?

Publishing those answers would help residents distinguish the facility’s intended audience from any actual restriction on access—and allow the discussion to proceed on confirmed information.