It looks as if there now might actually be review of the sweetheart deal the city of Boston gave to the Islamic Society of Boston on land for a mosque -- sold to the ISB for substantially below market value.
See here for details.
"Judge widens review of city mosque deal," from the Jewish Advocate, with thanks to MB:
The case against the City of Boston and a Muslim group over a controversial mosque project in Roxbury could get stronger, after a judge admitted new documents raising questions about the city’s conduct in the deal.“This is a significant step forward,” said Evan Slavitt, the lawyer representing James Policastro, the Mission Hill resident who originally filed a lawsuit against the city and the Islamic Society of Boston in October 2004. The suit charges that the city’s sale of public land at a significant discount for the construction of a mosque in exchange for a package of benefits, including an Islamic lecture series, violated the separation of church and state.
The ISB is suing The David Project, which played a role in bringing about the Policastro suit, along with the Boston Herald and Fox 25 News, for defaming the organization and conspiring to block its mosque project. Construction on the Islamic center, which is about three quarters complete and is projected to cost more than $24 million, is currently stalled due to lack of funds.
In issuing her decision late last month, Judge Regina Quinlan rejected the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s claim that only materials it submitted as part of an administrative record of the deal could be reviewed. Policastro’s claims, the judge wrote, were of “constitutional dimension” and other documents that have recently come to light could be used to support the case.
Among the documents the BRA did not include in its administrative record was an opinion from the BRA’s legal counsel in the early stages of the project warning that discounting the sale price of the land for a religious group could pose constitutional problems. An Ethics Commission opinion also noted that the close involvement of a Muslim BRA official, Muhammad Ali Salaam, could create the appearance that decisions were “unduly influenced by personal loyalties.”
Other documents indicate that Ali Salaam was intimately involved in many aspects of the deal, traveling to the Middle East on a fund-raising trip with ISB officials and writing letters on behalf of the ISB on BRA stationary.
Slavitt said that he now plans to file a motion that would compel BRA and ISB officials to provide testimony. So far they have refused to comply.
Citing the litigation, BRA officials also refused to participate in a public hearing on the deal called by a Boston city councilor in May.
Slavitt said that it’s too early to say what the outcome of the lawsuit will be but, he said, it could ultimately invalidate the transaction, meaning that the ISB would “have to tear down the establishment.”
Keep your fingers crossed.
this is a similiar story, l was listening on the van radio this morning to Lara Ingraham,and there is a similiar story out of Flordia. A group of muslims want to build a huge mosque complete with school,gym in a primary Black Christian neighbourhoood, but the Chritianas are not playing dead. they have along with their Ministers a many of the congreation protested the proposed mosque. the Black Minister first say that Islam was a cult, and preached evil, the total true story, so much that he completely destroyed the credibility of the CAIR representative on the radio today! The Minister also said many white Christians also protested along with the Afri.Amer.Christians. The Minister was right on the mark. l am hoping some more can come of this story.
Is Muhammad Ali Salaam still working for the City of Boston, still receiving a salary paid for by taxpayers, not all of whom may be delighted with his behind-the-scenes and under-the-table machinations, nor those of the others who protected and continued to support him?
Any investigative journalists working on this? And what about not the dual loyalties, but the Single Loyalties (to Islam and the Umma) of others working in state and federal and local offices? Any similar scandals elsewhere in the country? Shouldn't this be looked into, office by office, town by town, city by city?
Hugh
Is Muhammad Ali Salaam still working for the City of Boston, still receiving a salary paid for by taxpayers.....
He's employed (or was?) by the BRA. This authority is one step away from the actual City of Boston. None the less the taxpayers are paying this charlatans salary
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLG%2CGGLG%3A2006-09%2CGGLG%3Aen&q=%22Muhammad+Ali+Salaam%22++bra
I'm always amazed when people sell (or sell-out) to the wealthy at a discount. (Here I'm speaking of the "land sold for less than market vaulue" aspect of this story.) If the umma wants the mosques so badly so as to further expand "muslem lands" then they should pay a huge premium for it.
I think we'll all agree that they can afford it.
Besides all the obvious arguments that separation of religion and state, that is actually removal of JudeoChristian values from government. It would get even better if the city had orginally secured that property by right of emminent domain. The prior owner could sue to reacquire the property, as the intended use as a mosque was for a purpose against public policy. Maybe we could send you Buttefly the Tree sitter, and Darryl Hanna to come sit in a tree on the property to hold up construction. They got some good practice a couple of weeks ago in So Central LA, so they are good to go.
Besides all the obvious arguments that separation of religion and state, that is actually removal of JudeoChristian values from government. It would get even better if the city had orginally secured that property by right of emminent domain. The prior owner could sue to reacquire the property, as the intended use as a mosque was for a purpose against public policy. Maybe we could send you Buttefly the Tree sitter, and Darryl Hanna to come sit in a tree on the property to hold up construction. They got some good practice a couple of weeks ago in So Central LA, so they are good to go.
Typical politician tactic, give perks to the undeserving and screw the people who voted you in.
When and what was the last thing an elected official did anything good in your neighborhood??
Lulu - some of us were discussing the story you refer to on a previous thread. The black minister you're describing must be Reverend O'Neal Dozier:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/14992571.htm
Construction on the Islamic center, which is about three quarters complete and is projected to cost more than $24 million, is currently stalled due to lack of funds....
.
What in the hell could cost 24 million dollars and it NOT be done?
Have they already bought the slaves and stocked the ammunitions?
GOOD LORD!!!
Not all people are good nor are all evil. If you draw a graph amount of goodness in people against percentage of people in that category, you probably would get a bell curve. In a similar curve, where religions replace percentage of people, the religion with least goodness will be islam. In fact, the next good religion will be miles away from it. There are two things one needs to understand from this - that a religion (absolutely but, at least in today's context) can be evil, that an evil religion and its people should infact be descrimated from the other people. They should be made to realize that we don't think much of their religious beliefs and that if you want to be treated well, better mend your ways. I am strongly recommending for all of us to boycot all muslim businesses and let them know of that fact too.
freewoman, may be part or most of it was siphoned off into funding all the attacks that those creatures are making against Israel. May be needs an investigation. Good question you raise there...
Caroline, l am sorry to have missed it,where was it in?
I'm no fan of Eminent Domain, but since it's there...
From Caroline's article,
Traditionally, blacks and Muslims in America have forged a healthy, harmonious relationship -- in part because their leaders tackle the same issues affecting their neighborhoods -- drugs, crime, racism and other social ills, Mamiya said.
No, it was generally an alliance of hatred for whites. Thank God this pastor knows the score on islam. To embrace islam is eternal death.
the mos are getting a taste of seperation of church and state. Where is CAIR???????????
If you look into Boston's Community Development Department or whatever they call it, you will probably find that the Director is a Muslim.
Perhaps BRA (what does that mean) is the equivalent of or connected to Boston's Community Development Department. (CDD typically encompasses the permit center/building official and planning/land use departments)
I know for a fact that Muslims have been hired by many communities as City Managers, Community Development Directors, Land Use managers etc, primarily because they obtain degrees in engineering, and unlike Americans who seek such degrees so they can make big money in private enterprise, they seek employment in government.
And when one such gets his toe in the door and obtains some authority, he gets rid of, makes life uncomfortable for, non muslims and then hires family and friends...
Check the link below to see how really deep the conflict of interest went.
http://www.davidproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80&Itemid=82
Let's not forget that there is a whole other parcel of goodies attached to this one like the lawsuit brought about by the Islamic Society of Boston against neighbors, Jewish orginaizations, Fox News and the Boston Herald including a prominant Muslim Scholar who was outraged at finding hate pamphlets and anti American literature in the Cambridge Mosque he visited.
All of these 16 parties were conspiring to defame the Islamic Society of Boston. However, when the issue was finally ready to go to court the ISB wanted to back out seeking to "restore the friendly relations' it had in the Community. Also part of the deal was to establish an Islamic Lecture series at nearby Roxbury college at no charge to the school. How better to learn about the Religion of Peace? What a deal. A fire sale on land in swap for free propaganda. A win win situation for the muslims and another slap in the face for the community.
I'm sorry....did I mention the real thing that pulled the plug on the further flow of money for this mosque, was the possible link of donations from terrorist organisations.
I'm sorry... I failed to mention that the hate pamphlets found by Dr. Ahmad Mansour was Saudi originated...but you probably already guessed that.
Seeds of jihad in the birthplace of America, Boston, Massachusetts.
The BRA is the Boston Redevelopment Authority - what other places might call Community Development. Apparently this particular moslem works for the BRA - the same group charged with approving the sale and setting the price. OOPS!
You might have heard about the Big Dig in Boston Harbor. Went on for years. Sucked billions. Commonly called in much of New England the Big Pig. One problem after another since it was "finished" - not to mention the years of delay and billion or two in cost overruns. Flooding in a big way. Bad concrete. And now a falling in roof that killed a woman a few nights ago. The people of Massachusetts are MAD - and just about every government contract and sale around is coming under scrutiny in a very big way. Woe indeed to the bureaucrat foolish enough to give away the farm at the minute.
Nariz:
You are right. A couple of the signatures on the land sale documents were by Muslims who were not even on the Boston Redevelopment Agency even though they signed on BRA letterheads.
GallopingGranny:
We people of Massachusetts are mot all MAD. A couple of years ago we came within two percentage points of eliminating the income tax. That would have had all the rats that occupy Beacon Hill running around like they had their heads cut off. We would have shut off the drug supply to the spending junkies. It would have been another Boston tea party!
Briars wrote: We people of Massachusetts are mot all MAD. A couple of years ago we came within two percentage points of eliminating the income tax.
Briars, I did not mean that all you nice folk in MA are MAD as in insane/crazy - unless it is with righteous anger. You all NEED another Boston Tea Party!
Hurrah for Rev. Dozier for have the courage to speak in a straightforward manner about the cult of Muhammad.
http://www.miami.com/multimedia/miami/news/0707mosque/MosqueTerror.mp3
Maybe it takes black ministers to speak out so clearly about Islam. And while I understand that G. W. Bush as president must be diplomatic , he doesn’t have to say such bone-stuff like “Islam, as practiced by the vast majority of people, is a peaceful religion, a religion that respects others”. What a laugh! You would think he would take a little time to read some of the Koran, which clearly confirms Rev. Dozier’s impressions.
“"A mosque is more needed in a community where you have Muslim people already dwelling,'' said the Rev. Aaron Wiggins of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
"I believe they are trying to expand their territory,'' he said. "They are bringing Islam in a Christian community.''
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0711ctension,0,6635674.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
These ministers are no fools – they can see the scheme.