You don’t need Ground Zero to stoke a New York mosque controversy. Residents of Selden, LI, have been swamped with fliers denouncing the expansion of the Islamic Association of Long Island.
The fliers list a litany of complaints, including calls to prayer being broadcast over loudspeakers and snarled traffic. The notes warn that the expansion of Long Island’s oldest Muslim house of worship will force residents to deal with “rude, aggressive people when you confront them to move their cars away from our driveways.”
Mosque members argue that the fliers are ill-informed attempts at fear-mongering and that the expansion is simply an effort to accommodate a burgeoning Muslim population in Suffolk County. Supporters say one flyer attempts to whip up hysteria by pointing out a child abuse rap against a former Mosque employee.