State Supreme Court judge Mark Partnow removed another roadblock facing developers of a Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, mosque by denying a preliminary injunction filed by opponents of the project.
The group Bay People, representing plaintiffs in the case, said they would continue to fight the construction of the mosque. The group argued that the mosque would bring excessive traffic and noise to the area. Supporters have noted that other religious institutions populate the neighborhood and that most worshipers would walk to the mosque.
The attorney for the mosque developer, Allowey Ahmed, did not respond to a request for comment.
Debbie Almontaser, a Muslim activist who has organized rallies in support of the mosque and attended the hearing, said she was unphased by opponents’ claims that they would appeal the decision.
“I have no concerns whatsoever,” she said. “No matter how far they take this, the Muslim community has the constitution on its side.”
According to the Sheepshead Bites blog, the fence surrounding the construction site was defaced with the words “He is dead” within days after Osama bin Laden’s death, along with scrawled images of happy faces.
In March, nearly 200 supporters and opponents faced off outside the site, including prominent anti-Muslim activists Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, who have argued that the Muslim American Society, which is aligned with Ahmed, traces its roots to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that earlier espoused violence as a means of carrying out its political agenda but has officially renounced extremism.