Excerpt:
Those opposed to a planned mosque in Midland Beach are consumed by bigotry and hatred, a Muslim American Society leader said yesterday.
Ibrahim Ramey, the human civil rights director for MAS' advocacy arm, the MAS Freedom National, accused some Staten Islanders of engaging in a "ferocious attack" against Muslims based on stereotyping and prejudice.
"When stripped of all the propaganda, innuendo, and flat-out lies, the issue is simply one of religious bigotry and hatred," he said, in a letter issued to the media.
Ramey went on to refer to residents' attitudes as contrary to what America stands for: "Is this really happening in America — a nation that boasts of its religious tolerance and pluralism? Sadly, the answer is, yes."