The lot at 2812 Voorhies Avenue may have been the site of consternation and conflict during the last several months over plans to build a mosque. But this Sunday it’ll be a site of charity and generosity.
To celebrate Ramadan and usher in the new school year, local Muslims, the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) are teaming up to give out free school bags and school supplies to the Sheepshead Bay community this coming Sunday, September 5.
A total of 300 school bags containing notebooks, pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, rulers, crayons and more will be distributed. Organizers say hundreds of families are expected to attend this Sunday’s event.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are urged to scale up charitable acts, hoping that a month of increased kindness would carry on throughout the year. Through the “Back to School Giveaway”, ICNA and MAS hope to both help struggling families provide for their children.
“This initiative hopes to cater to the needs of low-income families in the community – families under financial pressure, those who have lost jobs, and those finding difficulty in buying school supplies for their children,” organizers wrote in their press release.
When: Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Where: MAS Sheepshead Bay Center, 2812 Voorhies Avenue
Bay People's new flier. First spotted on theatlantic.com (click to enlarge)
According to a new flier making rounds on the blocks near the proposed Voorhies Avenue mosque, Bay People, Inc., is putting the $30,000+ it raised to use by retaining a “COMPETENT” lawyer for the “FIRST part of the legal process.”
Other than that, there’s not much to be said about the flier. Except that their design skills are certainly improving.
We hope to hear from Bay People soon about their legal strategy, as the mosque property owner’s rights appear to be secure so long as the building remains within zoning guidelines. So far, no plans have been approved for the location.
We received these photos and report from reader Eitan K.:
At about 9:30PM on 8/23/10 I was in the waldbaums parking lot getting ready to leave after shopping when I heard the all too familiar screeching of tires and a crashing sound. The sound was loud and startling, and I looked over to the intersection trying to locate which two cars were involved. Only when I saw the bicycle laying in the middle of the intersection of Voorhees and Ocean Avenue did I realise the horror of what had just happened.
Luckily for the victim, as the accident took place an ambulance with its lights and sirens on was passing through the intersection, possibly going to another call. Passerby ran in front of the ambulance to flag it down and the victim recieved immediate medical attention.
The driver of the black cab remained at the scene, and his windshield had a pizza tray sized bust on the driver’s side where apparently the bicyclist impacted. I wasnt able to tell if the bicyclist was wearing a helmet, but he was conscious when he was placed in the ambulance.
You know how in South Park, when adults argue, it always breaks down to “rabble-rabble-rabble”? If not, just check out the video above to see what I mean before you continue reading.
This is a lot like what the mosque debate sounds like these days. A bunch of adults shouting back and forth, repeating the same things and making no headway. An aggressive venting of dissatisfaction. “Rabble rabble rabble!”
It’s one of my favorite recurring jokes in South Park, because it so succinctly captures the relentless immaturity of feuding adults, which stands in stark comparison to the show’s children. The kids’ simple logic and reliable calm usually prove an able foil to the grown-up bologna of prejudice, jealousy and over-excitement.
All of this prologue, of course, is not to say adults are always silly while the world through kids’ eyes is often the purist and… er… truthiest. But the show makes a good point: a child’s insight shouldn’t be ignored; it’s worth consideration.
So I was mighty impressed when Daily News hit the streets of Sheepshead Bay to talk to some of the area’s Muslim youths about the controversy surrounding our local mosque. After all, during my own interviews with Muslim neighbors, they rarely said, “I want a mosque so I can travel less to pray.” Instead, it was nearly always, “My children need a place nearby to understand the religion, and to be taught under proper guidance. They need a place to go after school. My family wants a say in the organization that will help instruct my child.”
And, let’s not forget, too, that a large part of the mosque is being dedicated to use for children: classrooms, computers and a recreation room for youth programs.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered a poignant speech in defense of the right of religious freedom in the shadow of Ground Zero yesterday. Despite what you think of the hizzoner’s politics and governance, yesterday held a moment in which the words “statesman” and “leadership” sit high on the marquee.
Though he spoke directly to the issue of the mosque at the World Trade Center, his words resonate to the current controversy surrounding the proposed Sheepshead Bay mosque on Voorhies Avenue. Regardless of your thoughts on the man’s politics, listen to his words and embrace the wisdom therein.
Here’s the text of his speech:
“We’ve come here to Governors Island to stand where the earliest settlers first set foot in New Amsterdam, and where the seeds of religious tolerance were first planted. We come here to see the inspiring symbol of liberty that more than 250 years later would greet millions of immigrants in this harbor. And we come here to state as strongly as ever, this is the freest city in the world. That’s what makes New York special and different and strong.
Brooklyn Tea Party activists issued an open letter to Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, calling on the Sheepshead Bay politician to create obstacles for the proposed 2812 Voorhies Avenue mosque.
John K. Press, president of the Brooklyn Tea Party, writes:
The Board and Standards and Appeals Chair, Meenakshi Srinivasan, has promised to render, “decisions that respect the character and context of neighborhoods.” A large proportion of the residents on Voorhies are Jewish. Having an organization that preaches hate against Jews move into the neighborhood would greatly disrupt the neighborhood character and quality of life for the current residents.
I implore you to step into this process in any way you can to slow down the permit granting process. This will allow you time to vet the buyer. And, if the concerns about the MAS prove baseless, we recognize that they should be welcomed as good neighbors.
But the focus of the letter’s opposition to the Sheepshead Bay mosque revolves around its connection to the Muslim American Society, not development issues, and includes links to the http://www.adl.org/main_Anti_Israel/Muslim_American_Society.htm about anti-semitic themes in MAS.
A staffer from Cymbrowitz’s office said they are mulling over an official response, but nothing has been decided yet. Cymbrowitz’s district ends at Voorhies Avenue and East 23rd Street; the proposed mosque will be in Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein’s district.
“[The Assemblyman is] dedicated to his community, as opposed to what’s happening other places, in terms of focusing his efforts,” the staffer told Sheepshead Bites.
At their June 27 rally, Bay People made their case against zoning issues. But attendees had a different message.
In a pair of Brooklyn Paper Op-Eds opponents to the Sheepshead Bay mosque reassert their criticism of zoning issues, while advocates fight for their right to religious freedom.
But the bigots, with their sensational quotes, still provide the focus for the mainstream media’s reports, and no legitimate conversation can emerge until they’ve been addressed.
Mosque opposition group Bay People sent a representative to last week’s Community Board 15 meeting to again press their case against the religious facility. The group has repeatedly criticized media reports that play up the appearance of bigotry, and say that their main objections pertain to zoning. Since Sheepshead Bites has been among the list of media outlets they’ve claimed sensationalize the story, we’re posting this unedited video of the representative from Bay People making their case.
We have additional video from speeches made at Bay People’s June 27 rally that require some editing and cleanup. If you’re interested, let us know and we’ll bump it up on our priority list.
At their June 27 rally, mosque opponents targeted politicians for their silence on the issue. Now they respond.
Brooklyn Paper has a pair of updates on the mosque issue, fueled by the deluge of comments they received from their initial report.
First up, they got in touch with most of the politicians with districts located near the mosque, getting their reading of the situation. The verdict? Freedom of worship is a constitutional right, and any attempt to stop the mosque from being built is an invasion of that liberty.
Opponents battling a proposed Sheepshead Bay mosque have transformed into a fund-raising machine, getting online donations and holding events in glitzy restaurants.
Newly formed neighborhood group Bay People has led the ramped-up fight against the Voorhies Ave. mosque, claiming to have raked in $30,000 from hundreds of local donors.
“When we started this in January, I thought no one would help, but the whole community has come together,” said spokesman Alex Tenenbaum before a wine and hors d’oeuvres fund-raiser last week at Paradise Garden on Emmons Ave.
Their effort has included a mailing to local residents and building a Web site to accept contributions.
The donations will fund a legal strategy to block the mosque by arguing it violates zoning laws and will create noise and traffic problems on the quiet block.
Opponents unleashed a controversy in January when they voiced anti-Islamic rants at a civic meeting and distributed flyers and letters linking Muslims with terrorists.
Tenenbaum and other Bay People officials have tried to tamp down the racial and religious rhetoric; notices for an anti-mosque demonstration on Sunday urge attendees to “be polite and tolerant.”
“We’re not welcoming bigots and Islamophobes,” said Tenenbaum, whose E. 28th St. backyard borders the mosque’s property.
But their ranks include members prone to outbursts that could inflame tensions.
“They [Muslims] want to destroy everything,” said Paradise Garden owner Gregory, who declined to give his full name. “They’re enemies of the United States – all of them. They hate America.”
