BK Tea Party Urges Cymbrowitz To Oppose Mosque

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.

The letter depicted Cymbrowitz’s recent opposition to a proposed 9-story garage and office building near the Sheepshead Bay Road subway station as setting a precedent for his involvement in developments that challenge the community’s character.

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.

Here’s the full letter:

From : John K. Press, Ph.D.
President of the Brooklyn Tea Party

To: Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz

Re: Proposed Voorhies Mosque, Brooklyn, NY

You are undoubtedly aware of the controversy surrounding the proposed building of a mosque at 2812 Voorhies Avenue. Residents worry about the same parking issue for which you bravely stood up against developer’s plans to construct a nine-story, 115 foot tall building wedged between Sheepshead Bay Road and Avenue Z.[i] Along with abnormalities in the DOB, in regards to the Voorhies Mosque, the residents of your district also have extraordinary concerns.[ii]

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the developer of this Mosque, the Muslim American Society (MAS), “has a troubling history of associations with radical organizations and individuals that promote terrorism, anti-Semitism and reject Israel’s right to exist.”  Furthermore, “MAS-affiliated Web sites have featured articles advocating jihad and suicide martyrdom.” And the MAS is, “the leading American Muslim organization organizing anti-Israel activity in the U.S.” [iii] A major officer in the MAS called the Jews, “the primary historical and religious example of those who “take the wrong path.”[iv]

The Board and Standards and Appeals Chair, Meenakshi Srinivasan, has promised to render, “decisions that respect the character and context of neighborhoods.”[v] 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.

I have attached hard-copy documentation to this petition, and here are just two samples of internet documentation that cause many of our members to be concerned about the MAS; I can offer you many others on request:

http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/misc/44.pdf

http://www.americansagainsthate.org/press_releases/PR-EllisonMAS.php

Please do not shirk your responsibility to listen to, and act upon, the concerns of our community.  Failure to address both the issues at hand and the people who have elected you will cause me to doubt that we do, indeed, have responsive and effective representation.

This Letter represents an official position of the Brooklyn Tea Party, and I can assure you that it conveys the sentiments of many people in your district

Thank you,
John K. Press, Ph.D.
President – The Brooklyn Tea Party
pressjohn@hotmail.com