Mosque expansion plans divide Long Island community
A Long Island town says its resistance to the expansion of a local mosque is based on traffic and public safety, but mosque leaders believe it's much more than that and have concerns over Islamophobia.
Conditions cramped inside Bethpage mosque
Masjid Al-Baqi Mosque is a center of learning, prayer and community for Muslims in the Bethpage hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay.
It consists of two separate buildings and an adjoining parking lot at the corner of Central and Stewart avenues. One building is a former pizzeria and the other used to be a Japanese restaurant.
Mosque board member Mujahid Ahmed showed CBS News New York the cramped quarters inside – school must stop at prayer time because there's not enough space, there's only one bathroom, tarps must be put down on the carpet at lunchtime, and the same room then doubles as an activity room.
Mosque members were thrilled in August when a judge approved mosque expansion plans.
"People celebrated. We had sweets," Ahmed said.
Oyster Bay fighting mosque expansion, citing traffic concerns
Their happiness was short-lived, however, as neighbors asked the town to reassess code and zoning, saying streets surrounding the mosque were already inundated with cars.
"Right now, we have cars parked all around this block when they do their services or whatever," one Bethpage homeowner said. "Adding any more traffic to that intersection is a complete nightmare, and it's not safe to our kids."
Oyster Bay is now fighting the expansion of the mosque, citing high accident rates and red-light camera violations in the area.
Ahmed, however, feels this is a case of parking and congestion versus race and religion.
"This is a busy intersection, yes, but that has nothing to do with the mosque," Ahmed said. "All we want, just let us build ... a nice building in the town, and let us pray."
In a statement, Oyster Bay Town Attorney Frank Scalera said, "This case between the Town of Oyster Bay and Muslims of Long Island centers on traffic safety and parking – not religion ... The Town Board will not compromise when it comes to protecting everyone in the public."
Oyster Bay Town said it fired a traffic consultant last week that it had hired to look into the mosque parking expansion after discovering he had made anti-Muslim comments on a social media page.
There are now dueling petitions for and against the mosque expansion.
"The town is dividing the community," Ahmed said.
A trial for this issue is scheduled for Oct. 27.