Yet Another Setback For Sheepshead Bay Mosque Opponents

Opponents to a proposed mosque in Sheepshead Bay suffered yet another setback. The City's Board of Standards and Appeals rejected the groups' claims.

Though it hasn't attracted as much attention as Park 51, the Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan, the mosque planned for 2812 Voorhies Avenue, on a residential block between East 28th and East 29th streets, has inspired protests, a lawsuit and challenges before the Department of Buildings.

Bay People, an organization formed to oppose the project, claims the mosque will increase traffic and noise in the neighborhood, decreasing property values. But the group has also come under fire for what is seen as its anti-Muslim bias.

In several DOB complaints lodged earlier this year, Bay People contended that the mosque, which is affiliated with the non-profit Muslim American Society, must provide on-site parking because of the number of worshippers expected at the property.

But DOB, which had already approved the project, shot down the challenges, finding the mosque would comply with zoning rules. The BSA voted 5-0 to affirm DOB today and is expected to issue a written decision shortly, according to Howard Goldman, a land-use attorney who represented Bay People.

Goldman said the decision would have an impact across the city, allowing any house of worship to design prayer rooms in such a way to avoid providing parking. "Any house of worship can now follow this ruling," Goldman said, adding, "It may require that there be an amendment to the zoning resolution to eliminate this loophole."

Developer Allowey Ahmed bought the property -- comprised of a vacant lot and a lot with a single-family home -- for $800,000 in 2007, from a couple who had owned there since 1974, according to city property records. Last October, he got the green light from DOB to erect a three-story brick building, with a 2,465 square foot structure on a 4,500-square-foot lot, department records show.

For Bay People, the sticking point is the way the mosque's proposed worship rooms are divided into two separate spaces: a 138-person main assembly room on the first floor and a 75-person secondary room overlooking the main space, according to plans submitted to DOB. (Goldman believes the second space is intended as a prayer room for women.)

New York's zoning code requires that houses of worship -- mosques, churches, synagogues, or otherwise -- provide one parking space for every 15 occupants of a site's largest assembly room, or 9.2 parking spaces in the case of the Sheepshead Bay mosque. But facilities that are required to provide fewer than ten spaces are, in fact, exempt from the parking obligations altogether.

The opponents claim that the parking requirements should apply because both spaces will be used for prayer as a single room; and that the total number of occupants would trigger the parking space requirement. Since the property can't accommodate the parking requirement, the opposition thought they'd be able to block the mosque on a zoning technicality.

The opposition has been fighting with the mosque developers in court as well; and the developers have fought back with counterclaims malicious prosecution, defamation and abuse of process, seeking at least $56,000, plus punitive and other damages. However, a September court ruling dismissed all those claims by both sides although both sides have appealed.

This isn't the last we'll hear of the mosque project

Staten Island Pastor Withdraws Support of Convent Sale To MAS

This may very well put an end to the possible sale of a convent on Staten Island to the Muslim American Society, which has ties to various terrorist groups, including Hamas.

The embattled pastor of the Midland Beach church considering the sale of a former convent to the Muslim American Society has withdrawn his support, and asked Archbishop Timothy Dolan to stop the sale from going forward.

In a letter to Archbishop Dolan, St. Margaret Mary R.C. Church Pastor Rev. Keith Fennessy wrote "I have concluded that the contemplated sale would not serve the needs of the parish. As a result, as Pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish, I wish to formally withdraw my support for the sale, and request that it not take place."

If the Church isn't going to sell the property, then this sorry chapter ends for the moment. The local community has been up in arms over the potential deal ever since it came to light. In particular, it was the shady background of the Muslim American Society that caught my attention unlike the proposed mosque near Ground Zero (Cordoba House).

Local Politicians Avoiding Mosque Fray On Staten Island

They tried to avoid the situation with the Cordoba House. They again are doing so in the case of a proposed sale of a convent and church on Staten Island to the Muslim group Muslim American Society.

This isn't merely the sale of a parcel of property between two religious groups, but the sale between a religious group, the Roman Catholic archdiocese and a group that has noted ties to terror organizations and the group that spawned the likes of Hamas and al Qaeda.

Further complicating matters is the fact that the church didn't send representatives to the meeting, and there's some dispute over whether they were invited or requested a presence there.

Focusing on land use and development issues is a cop-out for the local politicians.

State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) said Wednesday’s night’s focus should have been more on the land-use issues, such as traffic and parking, and that the tone should have been less accusatory. He added that a residential developer, who would have put just two or three houses on the property, would have put less strain on the area.

“I’m not voting against a mosque,” he said. “Whether it’s a CVS, a Duane Reade, a church or a mosque, you’re going to have lots and lots of traffic that street can’t handle anymore.”

Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer (D-East Shore/Brooklyn), said it’s not up to her to intervene.

“I think myself and other government officials realize that this is a private sale between two religious entities and, as such, our role is really limited to maintaining peace and stability in the community,” she said.

Still, if the deal went through, Ms. Hyer-Spencer said she was confident the residents and MAS would eventually mesh. She said she’s already seen it happen in Bay Ridge, where a mosque was built about seven years ago. Though it took about five years, the clashing communities finally appear to be getting along.

If the group has ties to terrorist organizations, it shouldn't be getting any kind of support whatsoever and it certainly shouldn't be able to purchase land for a new mosque or community center. It should be shut down.

A Mosque Purchase In New York That Should Raise Questions

Unlike the sound and fury surrounding the Cordoba House project that would build a community center a mosque facility in a building two blocks from Ground Zero that has gotten some folks outraged, there is a proposed mosque project in Staten Island in Midland Beach that should raise eyebrows because of the group and individuals involved and their connections with Islamic terrorism.

While the Cordoba House project needs more transparency about who will be funding the project beyond those that have already been identified, this Staten Island project raises red flags.

The group, Muslim American Society, is proposing building a mosque on the site of a former convent that the Catholic Church has shuttered. The proposed sale had caught the local community off guard and this meeting was supposed to clear the air. The archdiocese did not have a representative at the meeting.

For those who aren't familiar with the Muslim American Society, they do have links with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a worldwide movement that has spawned the likes of al Qaeda and jihadi groups that have attempted the overthrow of the Egyptian government, engaged in terrorism against Israel and the US, and which supports the likes of Hamas and Hizbullah. The Muslim Brotherhood's committed to the globalization of Islam through a variety of means, including violent jihad. Residents have a right to be wary.

MAS is Rejected at Mosque Hearing in Midland Beach

Needless to say, the meeting didn't exactly go as planned as it turned into a shouting match and the sponsors had to end the community meeting early.

One of those asking questions, Robert Spencer, repeatedly sought an answer to a simple question - "Do you denounce Hamas and Hizballah?" and eventually got a response that "MAS denounces any act of terror in the United States or outside."

What was so tough about answering that question? The response, however, does leave the door open to some interpretation because MAS would likely see Israel's actions to defend itself as terrorism, and wouldn't see the furtherance of jihad as an act of terror because it is a legitimate use of force under Islamic law.

The Muslim American Society does have strong links with pro-terrorist groups and supports an ideology that is antithetical to peaceful coexistence with those who don't support their ideology. The Investigative Project has a full dossier on the MAS.

Then, there's the positions previously taken by the people in charge of the MAS, which rallied in support of Hamas and Hizbullah:



Those spokespersons for the MAS at the meeting attempted to deflect the issue, but fell short of a proper explanation. They could not sufficiently answer questions on the group's ties to the Muslim Brotherhood remain or the group's ongoing support for groups that include Hamas and Hizbullah.

This is a situation that bears continued examination.


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