BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The proposed mosque at Ground Zero has sparked a heated national debate in recent months. But just a few miles away in Brooklyn, another mega-mosque controversy is brewing.
Sheepshead Bay is "old school" New York. It's the kind of place where generations of Italians, Irish, Russians and Jews have settled, drawn by the quiet charm and waterfront view of the working class, south Brooklyn neighborhood.
Voorhies Avenue -- with its tidy, well-kept row houses-- is typical of Sheepshead Bay, except for one major difference: a gaping hole where a very expensive mosque is planned to be built.
Many of the residents of Voorhies Avenue were born and raised on the block. They brought up their families and planned to retire there.
But now they say that's all up in the air, thanks to the proposed mosque construction, smack dab in the middle of their residential street.
The Bay People
"We're basically fighting for our quality of life. People invested in their houses, in their life here," resident Victor Benari told CBN News.
Benari is a member of Bay People Inc., a local group opposed to the building of the three-story mosque on tiny Voorhies Avenue.
"Why in this nice neighborhood?" he asked. "Why not in a commercial district?"
The Bay People have expressed their concerns in several peaceful protests, only to be labeled as racists and "Islamophobes" by Muslim and left wing proponents.
"They'll have the microphone and they'll mock us, curse us," Bay People Inc. member Patty Fatone said. "They'll condemn us for what we're saying."
Freedom or Intrusion?
CBN News recently spoke with members of the Bay People. They say their opposition is not based on religion, and that the mosque would cause traffic, parking and noise issues, including the Islamic call to prayer five times a day. Read the rest on: CBN
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