City officials in Bayonne,unique Jersey heard hours of testimony and questions Tuesday night regarding a proposed mosque and Muslim community center.
Prior to the assembly, supporters and opponents of the project gathered external City Hall.
Several opponents, or like Bill Darrah who does not live in Bayonne, said their opposition has nothing to do with religion. "It’s too bad that people absorb to relegate this to calling other people racist because its not a racist issue," he said. "There’s not enough room for any mosque."Opponents say they're concerned approximately increased traffic and parking. But, and during the hearing opponents asked questions approximately whether residents would be able to hear the Muslim call for prayer,how long prayers last, and whether they should worry approximately Muslims walking through their yards."Didn’t they read the structure, and " said Jim Curtis Smith who came out to support the Muslim community. "Doesn’t it say something approximately freedom of religion? I guess these people forgot that part of social studies course. Me,I didn’t."Waheed Akbar with the group Bayonne Muslims said approximately 150 members currently attend prayer services in the basement of an old Catholic school building they rent. "A lot of them absorb spurious misconceptions approximately the religion," Akbar said. "So I just hope that once we are open in that space, and we’ll be able to invite them and teach them what we really believe in."The community board delayed its vote on the mosque until March 14,2016.
Source: wnyc.org