It seems I was right and that the issue is much more about childish personality squabbles than I’d realized:
Unfortunately, personality conflicts – chiefly involving Dollard borough Mayor Ed Janiszewski and Al-Jamieh leader Ahmad Chaar – haven’t helped matters. Janiszewski cynically says Dollard’s opposition to the mosque is open to change, but the most likely scenario for that happening, he says, would involve his own death. In other words, over his dead body will al-Jamieh stay open.
Chaar, meanwhile, didn’t help matters when he rejected executive committee Robert Libman’s offer to act as mediator, saying Libman, as a Jew, is naturally biased against Al-Jamieh. This was an unwise and unhelpful comment, especially since one of the most vocal proponents of al-Jamieh’s right to exist is former Adat Reim congregation co-president Peter Nobel.
Hmmm… trading kindergarten-level insults and being obstinate about stupidities? Are these Dollard politics or Concordia politics?
Why do you defend these people?
Why do I defend who, exactly?
There might be a right to worship the religion of your choice, but you can’t force it on others.
The definition of politics is the control/influence of the power, to put it simply. Nobody is denying the Al-Jamieh congregation from worshipping in Dollard, just not at the current location. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are also prevented from building or expanding a few of their synagogues in Outrement.
I think that it would be in Al-Jamieh’s best interest to deal with this obstacle and find a better location, rather than trying to influence a re-zoning which no one is going to force city hall to do.
Josh,
There’s pure harassment going on. If it were a simple problem with the building, then that’s one thing. But Dollard has instituted a moratorium on any new houses of worship, and will not permit the Al-Jamieh congregation from establishing itself in any location in Dollard. Furthermore, the way the city prevented them from purchasing the adjacent land for parking, but also made the street a no parking zone on Friday afternoons (Muslim prayer time) just screams of petty harassment.
If people want to congregate to pray, the city shouldn’t use red tape to put up every barrier possible to prevent it without good reason. And while both sides seem to be “in the wrong” here, IMHO Dollard is more in the wrong for abusing public power to harass a group of people. Would you be comfortable with it if this were a synagogue being harassed in that method?
(By the way, I think the nonsense in Outremont is just as bad… one antisemitic woman with too much time on her hands decided to practically move in to Outremont city hall to prevent synagogue expansion. Such nonsense. Who are they hurting?)