Stop the Mosque at Ground Ze—err.. Sheepshead Bay
11:03 pm • 13 March 2011
From Arun Venugopal at WNYC:
About 120 demonstrators gathered in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, to protest a proposed mosque that opponents argue will dramatically alter the quality of life in the neighborhood. The protest, organized by about 80 supporters of the mosque, was within shouting distance of a counter-protest and drew locals and nationally prominent critics of Islam.
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The demonstration was organized by a local group, Bay People, which argues that a mosque would create traffic congestion in the neighborhood. The group also worries that the mosque would broadcast the call to prayer outside.
But Allowey Ahmed, who is developing the mosque, said that the call would not be broadcast outside, out of sensitivity to neighbors, most of whom are non-Muslim. And he has argued that the congregation of about 150 families will not generate much traffic, in part because most worshipers would arrive on foot.
The counter-protest, attended by dozens of young Muslim children and sign-toting teenagers, was organized by the NYC Coalition to Stop Islamophobia, a group that formed last summer in response to the controversy over Park 51. In promoting the demonstration online, organizers argued that opposition to the mosque “comes at a time when the Peter King hearings [on Islamic extremism] have caused more fear-mongering throughout the country!”
Once upon a time (AKA two years ago) I spent a summer in a family’s home in Indonesia, and I remember the morning calls to prayer, which were fairly loud. But this mosque says they won’t even broadcast them outside…so what’s the issue, exactly?
Anyway, in order for the protests to pass the smell test, they need to be able to apply equally to a church that promises not to loudly clang its church bells and to not attract too much traffic.
