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Staten Islanders don't know the MAS's nature

Submitted by Bruce, Jun 11, 2010 14:12

As a Staten Islander, I've been educating myself about the parties in this issue. Of course I already know a bit about my fellow New Yorkers in the Midland Beach neighborhood where the Muslim American Society seeks to buy a church and convert it into an MAS mosque and facility. But until a few days ago, I didn't know anything about the MAS.

While I experienced 9/11 close at hand, like so many New Yorkers, and while I knew that radical Islamism was about, not just in the Middle East or in Europe, but here, too, I was nonetheless shocked to learn that what I consider to be jihadists were trying to move in so close to where I call home.

Another key lesson for me is that most of my friends and neighbors have no idea of who the MAS is, of what the varied and textured (if you will) expressions of radical Islamism look like, such that, through their still-overly-rose-colored-lenses, the local skirmish does not form an integral part of the overall war, such that, to them, there is one local battle between phobic locals and "different" others who may be "radical" in the conventional sense, but are, first and foremost, adherents of the Muslim faith; and another "political net" battle, between the "Islamophobe thinktanks" and some ultra-radical Muslim activists, none of whom are really hereabouts.

That is, they don't get it. Or, it's the Islamism, stupid.

-- a needed object lesson, I suppose.

 

Caution Ahead

Submitted by Concerned, Jun 11, 2010 13:38

We have been addressing the challenges of the ideology and politics of MAS for years. Some have counter-protested at MAS political rallies. There have been successful legal efforts demonstrating MAS' ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and many of the public have been educated on this issue. As usual, the IPT clearly and coherently documents the facts on MAS.

But what should we make of a new direction by some to publicly protest MAS' right to build a mosque, as well as protesting other mosques in NYC? Do we deny other extremist groups' right to build houses of worship and conduct worship services? Because if so, where does that begin and where does that end?

I am concerned that those pursuing this new direction is a trap for those concerned about jihadist ideologies, that will show those against anti-freedom political views as just as intolerant as those who are for such views. Moreover, I can imagine how such news videos of angry American crowds at hearings about a mosque will play to other Muslim audiences and overseas audiences.

Instead of YouTubes of Mahdi Bray, others will have YouTubes of Americans protesting mosques to keep posting over and over.

In one week, we have seen two protests against mosques in New York. Where is this direction going to take us? It may be convenient for many of us to not comment and not to ask such questions, but we really need to have such discussions and consider the impact on the bigger picture.

 

Business as usual!

Submitted by SOS, Jun 11, 2010 09:25

The old standby for indefensible statements, it was taken out of context!! I love it!

Talk about disingenuous. I've seen the incident in question about fifty times. How is it even possible to take that out of context?

This kind of nonsense certainly fools the elected buffoons, but it's not fooling the majority of the people!!

 

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