Imam At Center Of Controversy Named In Lawsuit
The imam whose proposed Islamic center near ground zero has stirred a passionate controversy is now the defendant in a lawsuit, according the paperwork filed Tuesday at Hudson County Superior Court.
The lawsuit alleges Feisal Abdul Rauf's company, Sage Development, which owns two buildings in Union City, New Jersey, failed to properly maintain the buildings and apartments. One building contains 32 residential units and the second contains 16 units, according to the lawsuit.
"From 1996 to 2010, the city responded to no less than 30 complaints from tenants predicated upon various health and safety concerns, including lack of heat, mold inside apartments, garbage issues, bed bugs, foul odors, dirty hallways and the lack of utilities/heat," the filing says.
The larger of the two buildings has been vacant since a fire damaged the property on February 8, 2008. According to the lawsuit, Union City Fire Officials issued 12 fire code violations over the year prior to the fire. In the second apartment building, more than two units were found to be infested with bed bugs after complaints of improperly stored garbage.
Rauf has been at the epicenter of the national controversy surrounding Park 51, the proposed Islamic center that is to be built two blocks from ground zero. The project calls for a 13-story community center including a mosque, performing arts center, gym, swimming pool and other public spaces. It is collaboration between the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative.
Rauf, 62, founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement in 1997, and has headed the Masjid al-Farah mosque -- about 12 blocks from ground zero -- since 1990. Calls to Rauf's representatives for comment were not immediately returned. –CNN
The imam whose proposed Islamic center near ground zero has stirred a passionate controversy is now the defendant in a lawsuit, according the paperwork filed Tuesday at Hudson County Superior Court.
The lawsuit alleges Feisal Abdul Rauf's company, Sage Development, which owns two buildings in Union City, New Jersey, failed to properly maintain the buildings and apartments. One building contains 32 residential units and the second contains 16 units, according to the lawsuit.
"From 1996 to 2010, the city responded to no less than 30 complaints from tenants predicated upon various health and safety concerns, including lack of heat, mold inside apartments, garbage issues, bed bugs, foul odors, dirty hallways and the lack of utilities/heat," the filing says.
The larger of the two buildings has been vacant since a fire damaged the property on February 8, 2008. According to the lawsuit, Union City Fire Officials issued 12 fire code violations over the year prior to the fire. In the second apartment building, more than two units were found to be infested with bed bugs after complaints of improperly stored garbage.
Rauf has been at the epicenter of the national controversy surrounding Park 51, the proposed Islamic center that is to be built two blocks from ground zero. The project calls for a 13-story community center including a mosque, performing arts center, gym, swimming pool and other public spaces. It is collaboration between the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative.
Rauf, 62, founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement in 1997, and has headed the Masjid al-Farah mosque -- about 12 blocks from ground zero -- since 1990. Calls to Rauf's representatives for comment were not immediately returned. –CNN
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French Senate Approves Burqa Ban
The French Senate approved Tuesday a law banning any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women -- making France the first European country to plan such a measure.
The law passed by a vote of 246 to 1, with about 100 abstentions coming essentially from left-leaning politicians.
The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by the lower house of parliament in July and will go into effect next spring.
French people back the ban by a margin of more than four to one, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found in a survey earlier this year.
Some 82 percent of people polled approved of a ban, while 17 percent disapproved. That was the widest support the Washington-based think tank found in any of the five countries it surveyed.
Clear majorities also backed burqa bans in Germany, Britain and Spain, while two out of three Americans opposed it, the survey found.
The French Council of State has warned that the ban could be incompatible with international human rights laws and the country's own constitution. The council advises on laws, but the government is not required to follow its recommendations.
The ban pertains to the burqa, a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face, and the niqab, a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes. The hijab, which covers the hair and neck but not the face, and the chador, which covers the body but not the face, apparently are not banned by the law.
However, a 2004 law in France bans the wearing or displaying of overt religious symbols in schools -- including the wearing of headscarves by schoolgirls.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that France has about 3.5 million Muslims, or about 6 percent of the population. -CNN
The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by the lower house of parliament in July and will go into effect next spring.
French people back the ban by a margin of more than four to one, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found in a survey earlier this year.
Some 82 percent of people polled approved of a ban, while 17 percent disapproved. That was the widest support the Washington-based think tank found in any of the five countries it surveyed.
Clear majorities also backed burqa bans in Germany, Britain and Spain, while two out of three Americans opposed it, the survey found.
The French Council of State has warned that the ban could be incompatible with international human rights laws and the country's own constitution. The council advises on laws, but the government is not required to follow its recommendations.
The ban pertains to the burqa, a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face, and the niqab, a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes. The hijab, which covers the hair and neck but not the face, and the chador, which covers the body but not the face, apparently are not banned by the law.
However, a 2004 law in France bans the wearing or displaying of overt religious symbols in schools -- including the wearing of headscarves by schoolgirls.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that France has about 3.5 million Muslims, or about 6 percent of the population. -CNN
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In 2008 Israeli Youths burned New Testaments
There has been a lot of ink spilled over a pastor who wanted to burn a copy of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of 9-11. The media establishment, both Left and Right, joined in the condemnation. Those on the Left even approved of Sarah Palin and the Pope's condemnation of the Koran burning. But did you know that in 2008 500 copies of the New Testament were burned by Israelis in Israel? I didn't. The article appeared in USA Today. There was even a report of church burning by Orthodox Jews. –V2A
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