Tuesday, October 13, 2009
News Lawrenceville Highway's tranquility threatened by loud praying
Posted by Andisheh Nouraee on Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 5:39 PM
Six months after losing a battle to rid the town of karaoke, angry Lilburn residents have set their sights on an even bigger target: Islam.
The proposed expansion of an 11-year-old Dar-e-Abbas mosque on Lawrenceville Highway in Lilburn has many of the Gwinnett town's residents in a tizzy.
The expansion requires a zoning variance by Lilburn's city council. Fox 5 says many residents are ticked off because Lilburn Mayor Denise Preston owns some of the land the mosque needs to purchase for expansion. This, some residents say, is a conflict of interest.
On the surface, this seems like a very, very loose definition of a conflict of interest. Since when is it criminal or unethical to own land in the town where you live? Regardless, Preston says she will not participate at all in the council's decision-making process. Unless there's a credible accusation of shady back-room dealing, shouting "conflict of interest" seems silly.
But is this really about zoning?
As a frequent visitor to Lilburn, I find it hard to swallow that city residents are suddenly interested in the minutiae of land-use.
Lilburn's neighborhoods are leafy and pretty, but it's commercial corridors display the usual "long-term land-use planning is for Communists, homosexuals and losers" attitude that has marred all of Atlanta's suburbs, and much of its inner-city? If Lilburners are so worried about crappy development along Lawrenceville Highway, why didn't they protest any of the shitty development that took place there between, um, 1890 and September 2009?
Are Lilburners worried about mosque expansion ticked off at the expansion, or the mosque?
At least one Lilburner isn't afraid to speak his mind. The Gwinnett Daily Post quotes nearby restaurant owner Kyle Wright complaining the mosque is "anti-Christian" and therefore "not what Lilburn needs.
My favorite anti-mosque comment, however, comes from Lilburn resident Allen Owen.
He's worried the new mosque will disturb the neighborhood's tranquility.
"It's peaceful and we really don't need something like this coming in," Owen says.
Peaceful?
The spot he's talking about is a five-lane highway. As in, Lawrenceville HIGHWAY. The speed limit is 40 mph, meaning people regularly cruise it at 50mph or more. There are six strip malls within a mile of the mosque site.
Unless the sight of Muslims driving in and out of a mosque parking lot angers you, how exactly does a mosque disturb the peace?
Comments (12)
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"something like this coming in" WTH? How does one go about expanding that which is has not already "come in"? Yeah, they're pissed at Muslims. Surprised? Now, if they are going to do the call to prayer through an expanded PA system, they may have a point.
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Nah, church bells don't sound like an off-pitch cat getting burned with a soldering iron. :-) Who rings church bells anymore?
I don't even think this needs a response. You know, maybe they don't like your crazy, hillbilly music on the weekends while you're mowing the grass and casting a fishing line into your yard, hence all the praying. Yeah, I'm thinking that's about equal. http://booshy.wordpress.com
When I was a kid I had a recurring dream of catching huge bass in our yard. I think I may be a latent redneck. Well at least I'm not saddled with the latent potential to pray to Allah five times a day. That smacks of effort, devotion and humility. Yeah, that's not me.
From what I understand, it was not an outcry of "angry Lilburn residents" who did not want bars with karaoke; that was the City Council's decision. So your comparison between the two situations is not accurate. Also, the Lilburn mayor's name is Diana Preston, not Denise. Your trouble understanding the conflict-of-interest charge either means you're not too bright (which I don't think is the case) or you're being dismissive of valid complaints so you can bolster your argument in order to make the people opposed to the larger mosque seem disingenuous. Mayor Preston owns several acres which the mosque wants to buy, and you don't see any potential for unethical activity? How could it not cross your mind that the mosque would give her more money than the land is worth, in order to get her vote (hypothetically speaking, since she says she will recuse herself), or have her persuade the other council members to vote for the rezoning? And I really don't think it's "silly," especially in light of the recent problems with land deals involving Gwinnett County Commissioners. What I find hard to swallow is that you think a community would be disinterested in land-use issues surrounding their neighborhood. People in Gwinnett oppose certain developments just like your favorite enlightened in-town dwellers. It appears that the larger mosque would be situated right next to other homes on a quiet residential street. The current location of the mosque does face Lawrenceville Highway, but the expansion will bring it farther down Hood Road. I plan to go over there this week and see for myself. I wonder what you thought of the recent disputes in the metro area between residents and religious groups who wanted to expand their existing facilities, when it involed Jews and Scientologists?
Jay- I corrected the Mayor's name. See the note under the original post. Thank you for pointing that out. Which recent synagogue/Scientology facility expansions are you referring to? I was out of town for most of July - Sept and may have missed the events to which you refer. Andy
Sorry, Jay, I hit the submit button before addressing your conflict of interest point. The hypothetical you present isn't a conflict of interest. It's a felony. If there's any hint of vote buying, I hope there's an investigation. However, it's not a conflict of interest for the mayor of a town to own property in the town where she's mayor. Being the owner means you have the right to sell or lease the property.
Here are two stories about the church of Scientology zoning battle: ajc.com/news/north-fulton/scientology-zoning-battle-hits-139887.html ajc.com/news/north-fulton/sandy-springs-planning-board-141069.html Here is an article about the Jewish school that wanted to expand (it also references several others zoning battles between religious groups and residents): ajc.com/eveningedge/content/metro/stories/2008/08/11/schoolzones.html?cxntlid=inform_artr
A friend sent me this post after a post I made earlier tonight about the same issue (http://brownfolks.blogspot.com/2009/10/i-just-dont-like-muslims.html). It's good to see there are still people with a little sense left in the state. I realize this post is almost two weeks old, you might want to update it (especially your favorite quotes) after watching the awful videos from CBS Atlanta news. My favorite? "'I am prejudice [sic], I just don't like Muslims and I don't want them taking over our neighborhood,' said one resident who lives near the mosque. He did not want to be identified for fear of retaliation. 'I don't want someone coming to my house and burning it down.'"
Most of you making comments about the issue are quite igonarant about different sects of Muslims. This mosque and cemetary is being planned for the shia muslims living in the metro Atlanta region. Most of the services held at this mosque are at night when the traffic in the area is almost gone. There are only few days in a celendar year when services are held during the day. I do not thinks it is more than 6 or 8 days. Even on those occassions the mosque does hire Lilburn Police Department to control the traffic. Thus the traffic issue is not an issue. As for call for the prayers (ADHAN, on one resident of this neighbourhood can claim that they heard it even once in last 11 years. It is done within the prayer hall. As for the issue raised about the water drainage, I am sure that the city of Lilburn has its rule and regulations in place and the mosque will also have to follw the same. Thus this is also out of the context as an objection. Finally, as far as the cemetary is concern I do not see any thing creepy about it. The mosque management is ready to leave enough easement do that the neighbourhood is not disturbed with any activities in the cemetary. Furthermore, I do not think there is any other place quiter than the cemetary. This take us to the only issue left and that is as someone has qouted "I do not like Muslims". Well ther could be some who might have these ideas but I am sure most are not of same thought level. Think and understand each other.....
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