JSPAN Supports the Protection of Constitutional Liberties in NYC
At
its meeting on August 4, 2010, the JSPAN Board of Directors voted to
send the letter below to Lisa Hostein, executive editor of the Jewish
Exponent, in support of
"the building of an Islamic Center, including a mosque, in lower
Manhattan near "Ground Zero." The letter was signed by Lynn Gottlieb,
JSPAN's executive director, on
behalf of the Board. It reaffirms the hope that the Center will
"serv(e) the entire community, and promot(e) tolerance and peaceful
coexistence among all Americans."
Just as the construction of the mosque near "Ground Zero" is eliciting
strong protests, in many communities across the nation attempts to erect
mosques are facing a
more blatant kind of protest - one directly against Islam. New York
Times journalist Laurie Goodstein reported on August 8, 2010 that "at
one time, neighbors who did
not want mosques in their backyards said their concerns were over
traffic, parking and noise - the same reasons they might object to a
church or a synagogue. But now
the gloves are off. In all of the recent conflicts, opponents have said
their problem is Islam itself."
