DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: DID THEY ALSO PEE ON & THROW GARBAGE ON INFIDEL SHRUBBERY & LAWNS?!?

That is certainly what happened at one of our area mosques...

Moslems attending their services were accused of being pigs because they dropped garbage, pee'd on peoples shrubbery, etc...etc...etc...

I heard all about it from one of the attending mosque members, my response:

IF YOU ACT LIKE PIGS, YOU ARE PIGS...OINK, OINK, OINK ! ! !

He didn't like it too much, he ran away...LOLOL


Chestnut Ridge mosque's popularity causes parking issues
By JAMES WALSH

CHESTNUT RIDGE - Popularity can have its pitfalls.

Consider the Jerrahi Mosque as an example.

When it opened in the mid-1970s, the mosque offered services from a house off Route 45 (Chestnut Ridge Road).

A few years later, after acquiring adjacent property, it moved into a larger building it had renovated.

The number of parking spaces, about 25, approved by the village, seemed adequate, but it wasn't long before they rapidly filled as word of the mosque's presence spread.

Some members of the congregation took to parking on the heavily traveled Route 45, which the Ramapo police frowned upon, and also in an adjacent school parking lot.

The latter eventually became unavailable, leading congregants to park on Joyce Drive, a road off the west side of the highway and opposite the mosque.

For about 10 years, according to some members, congregants have parked on that street.

So it came as a surprise last week when they found notices on their windshields announcing new parking regulations.

The rules enacted by the village prohibit parking on most of the north side of Joyce Drive, as well as on both sides along a curve in the road. Parking already was prohibited on both sides near Route 45.

"We can't park on Route 45, so people have been parking on Joyce," said Azra Fasihuddin, a mosque member. "We park on both sides, but we've been careful not to block driveways or fire hydrants."

Sabbath services on Fridays draw the congregants, who come from New Jersey and Orange County, as well as Rockland.

The prayer services are from 1 to 2 p.m., so congregants arrive about 12:30 and leave about 2:30, said David Lowenthal, another member.

"When we started, this was plenty," he said, gesturing toward the mosque's paved parking lot. "But it grew. More people moved into the area, or those who didn't know about it, heard about it."

Lowenthal, an elder member, said the congregation considered building another lot at the rear of the property, but deemed it too difficult and expensive.

Members of the mosque now have permission from the East Ramapo school district to park at the adjacent Chestnut Ridge Middle School through the end of August, but will have to find another spot once classes resume in September.

Lowenthal said the congregation was exploring options that included seeking space in a town of Ramapo commuter park-and-ride lot, south of the mosque off Route 45.

It might also petition residents of Joyce Drive "to see if we could ask for a break during those (sabbath) hours," Lowenthal said.

The new restrictions clearly upset Fasihuddin.

"This is just harassment, as far as we see it," she said.

Not so, said Mayor Jerry Kobre, who said it was a safety issue.

The parking restrictions were enacted after firefighters and ambulance corps members expressed concern.

"They said there wasn't enough room for emergency vehicles to get through with parking on both sides," Kobre said.

Village Trustee Howard Cohen said he later toured the street.

He said it was impossible for two cars to pass when others were parked on both sides.

That resulted in drivers "weaving in and out" of spaces in front of driveways so one could pass, Cohen said.

Kobre said the village's engineer reviewed the potential for a lot behind the mosque. He said it was feasible, and could be covered with stone, instead of being paved, to save money.

"We're certainly not trying to interfere with their services," Kobre said. "It's strictly a safety situation."



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