Anti-Mosque Protesters On SI Bring Out NYC's Inner Bigot

A national Muslim group is refusing to back down from plans to turn a former Catholic convent on Staten Island into a mosque, and yesterday about 175 locals turned out in the blazing heat to voice their opposition. Here's a sample of some of the reasoned discourse from the protesters outside the convent.:

"We just want to leave our neighborhood the way it is - Christian, Catholic."
"Mosques breed terrorism, I'm sorry."
"The city has had enough terrorism and everything else. We just don't want to take the chance, and they can't prove to us otherwise."
"Why is a mosque coming here? [Are there] that many Muslims? It's just everything, and to unravel it, gee wiz, it's gonna take a miracle."
"To me, they’re too closed. We don’t know them. It’s up to them to show us what and who they are. It’s very frightening."

And what better way to get to know someone than by banning them from your community! Perhaps the best part of the demonstration came when a couple of protesters unfurled a banner with the words "We Will Never Forget!" and color photos referencing the killing of Coptic Christians in Egypt. SI Live reports that one of the people holding the banner was Magdi Saweres, a Cairo-born Copt who has lived in Midland Beach for the last eight years. "You see..they [Islamic extremists] killed these kids in Egypt," said Sawares.

But other demonstrators were intolerant of Saweres's particular brand of intolerance, shouting, "We’re not in Egypt — we’re in the U.S." Rosemary Vasquenz, an officer of the Midland Beach Civic Association, exclaimed, "That’s not our issue! They should not be here!" One local, Thomas BoscoIt, tried to reason with the other demonstrators, explaining that the Coptics were "on our side, believe me." The protest wrapped up at 1:30 p.m., with the crowd chanting "USA! USA!"

Although the local pastor reversed his decision to sell the convent to the Muslim American Society, the reverend does not have veto power, and the parish’s trustees will make the final decision. Yesterday a MAS spokesman said, "The community of Midland Beach has been hijacked by Islamaphobes," and the group released this statement pleading with the Catholic community to "do the right thing":

In reference to Rev. Keith Fennessy's letter withdrawing his support for the mosque purchase sale in Staten Island, N.Y., we feel strongly that much of what is taking place now is being driven by fear and hysteria, with some of it being stirred up by professional groups that have a history of being prejudiced against Muslims. We are American citizens and we love our country. We do not operate as an extension of any non-American religious or political organization. What have we done wrong to cause anyone to deny us the right to build a house of worship?
Nevertheless, we believe in the good will of the Catholic community leaders, and that ultimately they will do the right thing and allow this sale to be completed. We know that the Catholic community in the past has endured some of the same prejudice and fear mongering that we, as Muslims, are now facing. What should we tell our children? That as Muslims we are second class citizens without religious and civil rights? Or that the 1st and 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution become void merely because you are an American Muslim?

We firmly believe that the majority of Catholics in this great nation of ours does not share the view that people should be denied their religious and constitutional rights to build a house of worship simply because their faith tradition is different from the tradition of many of their neighbors. The call to resist prejudice and bigotry is both a moral and a spiritual imperative shared by all faiths within the Abrahamic tradition. Sometimes it is difficult to face the hysteria of prejudice, yet this is exactly what all people of faith are called to do. And, despite this letter, we remain optimistic that our intention to build a place of worship in this community in Staten Island will be successful.

We believe this, because we believe that the goodness and decency of the American people will ultimately triumph over religious prejudice and fear.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on June 21, 2010 10:19 AM

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newsfollower

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HAVE ANY ONE OF YOU JUST TRIED TO SEARCH REAL MEANING OF ANY WORD REPEATED WITHOUT HE KNOWS WHAT IS THE GOAL? AND WHO USES IT? AND WHY ?

HAVE ANY ONE OF YOU JUST TRIED TO FIND THE TRUTH AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND HIM ?

I'M SURE 100% THAT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND ALL THIS SOME DAY

AS YOU UNDERSTOOD OTHER THINGS FROM THE PAST

BUT IT WAS TOO LATE

DON'T WASTE THE CHANCE.

DON'T MAKE IT TOO LATE TO FIND THE TRUTH.

DON'T LET ANY ONE CONTROL YOUR MIND YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR FREEDOM.

FIND THE TRUTH ABOUT ISLAM NOW

DON'T WAIT ON BED TO LISTEN TO ZIONIST MEDIA WITH ITS AGENDA TO CONTROL YOUR LIFE

GET YOUR MIND AND YOUR LIFE BACK NOW .

I CAN TELL YOU A VERY TINY INFORMATION , SOME ONE CAN TELL YOU IT AS A LIE.

DO YOU KNOW THAT WORD " JIHAD " DOESN'T REFER TO FIGHTING AND WAR SPECIFICALLY .

DO YOU KNOW THAT MUSLIM MUST DO " JIHAD " EVERY DAY

DO YOU KNOW THAT MUSLIM CAN DO JIHAD EVERY DAY WITHOUT FIGHTING OR ENTER WAR ALONG HIS LIFE .

DO YOU KNOW THAT MUSLIMS PREVENTED BY ISLAM FROM FIGHTING OR ENTERING ANY WAR EXCEPT IF IT WAS DEFENSING THEMSELVES,THEIR FAMILIES,THEIR HOMES AND THEIR LAND.

OR HELPING OTHER MUSLIMS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

OR RETURNING RIGHTS TO THEIR OWNERS IF WHO STOLE THEM REFUSED TO RETURN THEM BACK TO THEIR OWNERS IN PEACE.

TO KNOW MORE CORRECT INFORMATION ABOUT JIHAD READ ANSWER OF QUESTION BY SOME ONE CALLED TOM ON ISLAM ONLINE SITE

LINK IS

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503543554&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FFatwaEAskTheScholar

THANK YOU

BE FREE ..FREE YOUR MIND

Amanda Harletsch

A flamboyant provincialism!

that's the best the right-wing folksy crowd gets.

robingee

Chanting "USA!" - how hilarious. Because USA don't cotton to no outsiders.

FutureMan83

Islam; it's a blast!

SP's Ghost

There have been more acts of terrorism committed on US soil since 1980 by Jews than by Muslims:

http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/01/not-all-terrorists-are-muslims/

Petey

According to your link, 6% for muslim terrorists, 7% for jewish terrorists, BUT population estimates for jewish people from 1990 - 2008 has gone down to approximately 1.2% from 1.8%, whereas muslim population has doubled from approximately 0.3% yo 0.6%. Using those population numbers, muslims are 1.2 times more likely to be terrorists than jewish people, and 10.5 times more likely to be terrorists than the rest of the population.

Rocknrope

I think you need to reexamine your math - if the overall population decreases, what does that do to the percentages?

Petey

Of if you want to take away the jewish numbers (which is still a lower % of the population, twice as many people committing about 1/6 more), then you have 98.2% of the population (non jewish, non muslim) committing 87% of the terrorism, vs 0.6% committing 6%.

Petey

Maybe my math is off, but you have 0.6% of the population committing 6% of the acts of terrorism. You don't need math to figure out that that's a much higher rate than the other 99.4% committing 94%, and the muslim population in the earlier parts of the study wasn't as high as it was towards the end.

Helen Thomas knows the score

if Muslims are so violent, where all the attacks?

there are about 5 million muslims in america. If just 1% of them were violent, there would be 50K attacks.

there are a billion muslims in the world, surely they must be wrecking havoc on the world. no? but look at the facts, the largest wars of the 20th century that cost millions of lives...not committed by muslims.

the countries with hundreds of bases, thousands of nukes, that have killed millions and millions of...people...were not muslims.

Its incredible really. with all the supposed freedom and all the expensive education in america, the majority of people are so easily hoodwinked.

its almost funny, but it isnt.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

I think you should change your avatar to Dick Cheney, it fits you better.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

reply to "helen thomas"

Helen Thomas knows the score

look at the video. its shows how hollywood has depicted muslims to americans. totally over the top.

america has been conditioned to be anti-muslim. I wonder why that it is? I wonder whose interest it serves if americans think muslims are all backwards and violent? I wonder?

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Helen Thomas, All we can do is wonder here because if I state whose interests it serves then I will be hunted down as you were fired

Helen Thomas knows the score

Here is great video about how the US got this way it's called 'planet of the arabs'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi1ZNEjEarw

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

I think you should change your avatar to Dick Cheney, it fits you better.

hotstepper

can all the bigots and the religious just get in the ring and destroy each other already? i'm sick of all of you.

hasoferet

This is such a serious and very difficult issue.

Obviously there are legitimate fears about Islam and nobody really knows what to do about it. Thoughtful people wring their hands and worry, and the less thoughtful go out and demonstrate and say stupid things that sound bigoted, but reflect those same worries.

As a Jew I know from history that many of these things that are being said about Muslims were said (and in some cases still are)about Jews. As a progressive I am loathe to make sweeping statements about any one group and I know that not every Muslim is a terrorist. Yet I cannot ignore evidence. In addition I spend a lot of time in Europe, where the social and political issues and arguments surrounding integration of Muslims are much more a part of daily life.

I don't have an answer.

darkdrseuss

You know it's sort of surprising you would identify yourself Jewish, and then go on to say the evidence says otherwise about the Muslim people. If i'm not mistaken, wasn't this the same sort of hysteria created in europe pre WWII about the Jewish people? and not only in Germany, but continent wide? I would hope your history would shed light on the power of the media and the voice of the people with hate. Back then, it was quite normal for papers to print cartoons of the "big scary Jewish force" that threatened to "overthrow the economy". And back then, people also said "well, evidence shows this is true, so we must fear this race". And the key there was, false evidence, evidence twisted to meet their goals and agenda of spreading hate and anger towards a group of people that never deserved it.

I am also prepared for a big chunk of the Gothamist population to condemn me as a i say this: I am a Muslim. I work as a paramedic for the 911 system of the city of NY, I volunteer every weekend for different causes, and I have never felt the urge to take over, harm, or "spread" my faith to anyone else. I did condemn the fort hood attacks, as did my mosque, but it was never televised, and never will be. And in the back of my head, i know that flak will be thrown at me on this board, so you can imagine how the average Muslim citizen feels when they have to go out and speak in public, knowing that the people that are portrayed in the SI videos and the board meeting in Manhattan are waiting to pounce on them. It's easy for people to riff through the Qu'ran and find choicy bits of violence and what not to show what a violent religion we are. And if i really wanted to waste my time, i could riff through the Bible and Torah and find wonderful selections of stoning homosexuals, destroying whole cities of "pagans" and other wonderful passages that decree the destruction of "non believers". But, these are just excerpts. Anything taken out of context can be molded to fit ones argument. I strongly believe I follow a religion of peace, I have always been taught to be peaceful, and on top of that, I have been taught that i'm not allowed to force my beliefs upon others, only to lead by example. I know that's what my family follows, my community follows, and the majority of my religion. If people like snickerdoodle want to continue with this tirade of hate against my religion, well then allow history to repeat itself, and begin putting us in camps. Because that seems to be the direction you would like to head...

FunChop

There may not be an answer, or at least not one that enough people will agree on to make any actual progress.

In many regards this issue is not dissimilar to the Palestine/Israel problem. Both sides of the argument froth at the mouth, point fingers at the others as the source of the conflict, and then seem to lose all ability to think critically and resort to mass hysteria and typically, violence.

There are plenty of Americans that would have no problem rounding up every last muslim (and illegal immigrant) in the country and putting them in a concentration camp.