Daily Record  September 10, 2007

ROCKAWAY -- Amid controversy swirling over a proposed mosque, a grass-roots organization promoting peace and interfaith dialogue sponsored a forum on Sunday afternoon for residents, to foster understanding of the project and of Islam itself.

However, the target audience -- critics of the project -- didn't show.

But officials for the Islamic Center of Morris County, which has applied to convert a Mannino Drive warehouse into a mosque, said the forum could be the first of many in their quest for approval.

"Whatever it takes," said Aref Assef, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Morris County .

"Our job is to make sure that their fears are allayed and misconceptions are dispelled. We strongly believe that forums like this are necessary for us to build a mosque and to let our faithful have a place to worship."

Officials of the Islamic Center, which currently rents space in Budd Lake, have explained their need for a permanent facility. They are seeking variances from the borough zoning board to convert the 14,800-square-foot warehouse into a mosque.

Borough residents have turned out en masse for several hearings of the application, with some expressing concerns over an increase in traffic and parking. Others have bluntly stated -- in so many terms -- that a mosque isn't welcome in Rockaway.

Those comments -- and a belief that area residents lack understanding about Islam -- led David Mortensen to organize Sunday's forum on behalf of the American Joint Multi-Faith Association/People of Peace and Justice, or AJMA.

Mortensen, a Rockaway Township resident who helmed a similar effort in response to vocal opposition over a mega-church's plans for his township, said the purpose of the forum, "Open Hearts, Open Minds," was to foster peace, friendship and understanding through interfaith dialogue.

"Some people in our community fear what they don't know," said Mortensen, an AJMA member who attended the last two mosque hearings.

"A lot of people don't know the three Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- are all interconnected. They all share many of the same prophets ... stress the love of God, love of neighbor. We're trying to make people aware of the commonalities."

AJMA, Mortensen said, held an interfaith forum at the mosque in Boonton in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Sixth anniversary

Nearing the sixth anniversary of the attacks, mosque outreach directors, local church officials and rabbis, such as Rabbi Benjamin Adler of White Meadow Temple and the Rev. Allison Miller of the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, spoke during the four-hour forum.

The event, held at the First Presbyterian Church on Church Street, drew dozens of Morris County residents, leaders of other faiths and members of the Islamic Center.

Sandra Moulden, a borough resident and member of the First Presbyterian Church, said she was curious about the mosque and wants to learn more about Islam.

Moulden, who hasn't attended any of the hearings, said she believes that most people are misinformed about Islam and about Muslims in general.

"I think when some people think of Muslims, they think right away of terrorism," she said. "I think Muslims are mostly moderates, peaceful people. There's good and bad in every religion."

Other attendees, who came from Denville, Randolph, Mount Olive and Parsippany, said they came out after reading about the mosque controversy in the Daily Record.

"I'm a little concerned that there's tinges of intolerance coming up at these meetings," said Larry Nagel, a Randolph resident and AJMA member.

"We have too much of that in this time and we need much less of it. I certainly hope they can come to a reasonable conclusion."

Mosque officials say they are not discouraged by the response of residents to the application, but disheartened about the misconceptions of their religion.

"The mosque is not the goal," said Mostafa Abuzeed, president of the Islamic Center. "The goal is to get people together and learn about Islam. We'd like the chance to prove to everybody that we're good .... We should live together and we should learn how to live together in peace."

Tehani Schneider can be reached at (973) 428-6631 or tschneider@gannett.com.






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