"Ground Zero" Mosque Imam Called Slumlord by Jersey Tenants

"I'll get around to the repairs eventually!"

The new argument against the Islamic community center and mosque planned for Lower Manhattan? The center's Imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, will infest the hallowed ground near Ground Zero with bedbugs. It's being reported that Rauf, who owns a couple of apartment buildings in Union City, NJ, has let the properties deteriorate so badly that Union City is suing him for violating tenants' rights laws. NJ.com reports that the problems with the apartments include leaks, mold, bedbug and rodent infestation and fire hazards. The city has stationed a cop car outside one of the buildings since last week because residents have complained there are no working fire alarms!

Paola Leiva tells CBS2 she has bedbugs and no child guards on her windows to protect her three children under 6. There's also a leaky hole in her bathroom ceiling. Another resident, Cindy Balko, tells NJ.com, "I’ve been here since the building opened (in 1990) and it hasn’t been peaceful with this owner. He cares nothing about the people who live in this building. Not a thing." When asked if her complaints were motivated by the imam’s controversial position mosque plans, Balko said, "It’s fine and dandy that he can build a mosque. But he doesn’t take care of this building or the building around the corner, and he’s going to take care of a mosque?"

The lawsuit against Rauf states the Union City Health Department has responded to "no less than 30 complaints from tenants predicated upon various health and safety concerns, including lack of heat, mold inside apartments, garbage issues, bedbugs, foul odors, dirty hallways and the lack of utilities." Meanwhile, the proposed mosque's developer, Sharif El-Gamal, is being evicted from his Soho office because he owes $39,000 in back rent! Oh well, that's peanuts compared to the $100 million it'll cost to build the thing.

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By John Del Signore in News on September 15, 2010 5:26 PM

Comments [rss]

billyjack44

Anyone see the artist there yesterday? He was working on a painting of the imam pulling a huge trojan horse through the ruins of ground zero. Talk about subtle imagery, lol. Oh well, better to see him there than that other yuppie hipster asshole with the long hair and tie holding up his hand scrawled sign saying "religious freedom" EVERY damn day. I guess that effing loser finally got a job.

Duane

http://groundzeromosquetheamericanway.blogspot.com/

TheEmpressIsIn

police cars parked outside? wouldn't it be cheaper and more efficient to buy them some effing fire detectors and charge the Imam?

Såkandulæredet

Looks like this thread has some kind of comment protection going on.

stnyc

*don't*

Over 70% of Americans do not want the mosque so close to Ground Zero.

What cracks me up is when plebes say "They're playing games calling it the Ground Zero Mosque" ...

huh??????

That's WTF it is. A mosque right next to Ground Zero ruins. Just last year they found bones on the roof of Burlington Factory.

Go take a long walk.

The mosque ain't happening that close.

The End.

robingee

It has a prayer room. Then a hospital with a chapel in it must be seen as a church.

Såkandulæredet

A hospital's primary purpose is to heal the sick and injured. What is the primary purpose of Park51? Well that's debatable, but I think someone could make the case reading that link (expired Park51's website) that the mosque inside the center serves a primary purpose for the developers. And yes, they used the word mosque.

Såkandulæredet

http://www.freezepage.com/1284017914FBDMYHXBUN

stnyc

Anyone who has been to Union City knows what a lot of those buildings look like.

It ain't happening.

It's the politicans that want this divisive mosque and the plebes who get led around by the rings in their noses.

Is it 72% of New Yorkers now? Yes, I believe it is 72% of New Yorkers think this mosque is insensitive. Most fellow NY natives I speak to would just like it at the very least moved down a few blocks. That's it.

This is the most tolerant country in the world. This is hands down the best country in the world for Muslims and Muslim WOMEN to live. No one needs to teach US about religious tolerance. It's the most idiotic baseless argument that only plebs regurgitate.

And Over 70% of Americans do want it.

It ain't happening.

Boogie Down

"This is the most tolerant country in the world."

Bwa-hahahaha! *catches breath* Bwa-hahahaha!

robingee

>> This is the most tolerant country in the world. >>

Yes, that's why we have legalized marijuana, prostitution, openly gay people in the military and gay marriage! (we do have those things, don't we?)

JMH

You can't stand your landlord, and yet you've lived in his building for twenty years?

nik13

I doubt she's paying out of her own pocket. Most likely it's Section 8 housing. They deserve each other - welfare mooching infidel parasites sticking it to an imam. Too bad he cannot kill them.

jackmurphy

I got the impression, although its not entirely clear from her comment, that the building was under control of a different landlord when it opened. "This owner" makes it sound like she's saying its been worse under this owner than prior ones.

JMH

OK, I suppose I see what you mean, but... I mean, move out, then. I say the same thing to other posts about people complaining about other landlords, whether it's in Brooklyn or Manhattan or wherever else. Most of the time the complainers are people who are paying cheap rent (often rent stabilized tenants, though not in this case), getting what they're paying for, and then complaining that they're not getting more. Vote with your feet. I know moving is hard and complaining to the Ledger is easy, but still.