Basking Ridge is governed by a five-person elected committee, which meets in a repurposed Tudor-style mansion. (It previously belonged to John Jacob Astor VI, an American aristocrat whose father perished on the Titanic.) One evening last year, I attended a meeting – the first of many – at the town hall, where the committee members sat on a long dais, discussing their usual business, such as preparations for an upcoming celebration of the signing of Basking Ridge’s royal charter, in 1760. When the meeting was opened to comments from the public, however, all anyone wanted to talk about was Chaudry and the mosque.
“The neighbours near this proposed mosque did not sign up to live next to this house of worship,” said one resident, who broke down sobbing as she spoke. “They have been members of a quiet residential neighbourhood for decades, and do not look forward to having their routines and lives disrupted.”
The residents said the mosque would create traffic and commotion, and would ruin their property values. But they also complained about the tactics Chaudry had employed in his bitter court battle. One middle-aged woman gestured toward the mosque opponents in the audience, saying that many had been subjected to “a hateful harassment campaign” by the Islamic Society’s attorneys, who had served them with subpoenas seeking the contents of their personal email and social media accounts, in an effort to prove that they were motivated not by planning concerns, but animosity toward Muslims.
The residents complained of “traffic and commotion.” Was that a made-up complaint? Would they not have been just as opposed to an application for a building of a similar size and footprint, including the parking lot, whatever the religion involved? Didn’t a Presbyterian church have its application for improvements summarily denied after only two hearings, just the year before Mr. Chaudry made his application?
And what about the woman who complained about Chaudry’s lawyers, “seeking the contents of their personal email and social media accounts” to prove anti-Muslim prejudice? That is exactly what they did, as scorched-earth litigators.
“Mr Chaudry has waged an expensive PR campaign that has talked about people as if they’re bigots,” another woman said. “And personally, I think it is the ISBR group that has been bullying and bigoted.” Then she invoked Trump, the inescapable presence. “They talk about our current president and how he speaks about Muslims. Well, I find ISBR’s rhetoric to be just as harmful.”
Note that the lady in question is not a Trump supporter, which would, or course, entitle us to consign her, and all her views, to the outer darkness. She describes ISBR (the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge) “to be just as harmful” as Trump. That is clearly a criticism of Trump as well. In other words, she’s not a “right-winger.” And Basking Ridge, in case you were wondering, voted for Hillary Clinton. Is this woman’s anguished description of Chaudry’s lawyers’ “expensive PR campaign” to paint as bigots all opponents of the mosque as originally planned — accurate? Yes, that is exactly what those lawyers did.
Then there was Cody Smith, another person who lived in the neighborhood of the proposed mosque, and who was a leading opponent of the mosque. The report in The Guardian left out Cody Smith’s take on the zoning board’s hearings:
“I thought the board was bending over backwards to approve it,” Smith said. “He was a former mayor, an insider. I thought the board was guiding him on how to get it approved. There were a lot of problems the board seemed willing to overlook. I left those first meetings thinking it was a done deal.
The Guardian’s article did describe the speech of Loretta Quick, “a schoolteacher who lived next door to the mosque site, and was one of the neighbours who had come to Chaudry’s initial open house years before. She had even voted for him, back when he was a politician. Now she was a die-hard enemy of the mosque. “If you cave,” she told the board, in a furious voice, “you’re saying that we are bigots, that we based the decision on discrimination against Islam.”
Isn’t that exactly what Chaudry and his lawyers were doing — attempting to smash any possible opposition, whether from members of the zoning board or from townspeople who expressed their opposition at the public hearings, by painting all those opposed as “Islamophobic bigots”? And Loretta Quick doesn’t in any way fit that bill: she had voted for Chaudry when he ran for office, and in good faith had attended the open house where Chaudry first bruited his tentative plans for a mosque. Was it there that he decided to reveal both the size of the mosque and the size of the parking lot? Isn’t that what would have disturbed the next-door neighbor, Loretta Quick? Of course she was infuriated at being called a “bigot.” From what evidence we have, she had a perfect right to be angry.
Quick was one of those who had been served with a subpoena, and was being represented by the Thomas More Law Center, an advocacy group that claims its mission is to defend “America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral values” against forces waging a “Stealth Jihad” to “transform America into an Islamic nation”. Quick referenced a recent press release the Law Center had put out, which had plucked a few verses from a searchable English translation of the Qur’an that could be accessed on the ISBR website – “Fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them”, etc – to suggest that Chaudry was somehow in league with religious extremists.
“These are words that seem quite intimidating and threatening to me,” Quick said. “I want to be protected, and you owe that to me, this township and this nation.”’
Those words — better rendered as “Kill the Infidels wherever they find them” (as the word “Pagans” can mislead, as it does not include all non-Muslims) — are not just “a few verses” that had been “plucked” from the Qur’an. Had it felt like it, the Thomas More Law Center could have included in its press release many more, or all, of the 109 Jihad verses commanding Muslims to wage war on Infidels, and several which command them to “strike terror” in the hearts of the Infidels. There was no suggestion that Chaudry was “somehow in league with religious extremists” — the whole point of invoking that Qur’anic quote is that it is one of many similar verses, and is known to, and is supposed to be taken to heart by, mainstream Muslims, like Mr. Chaudry. It was not far-fetched to assume that as a good Muslim, Chaudry took the entire Qur’an to be the Word of God, that he knew what Qur’an verses commanded, including those about killing the Infidels.
Cicero says
This is such a common story ! Muslims feted and given honours by Western establishments then use their contacts, insider knowledge @nd alliances to set up controversial mosques and Islamic cultural centres right in the middles of non Muslim dominated areas .
They are relentless and persistent in the face of opposition from local people and quick to lie deceive and harass those who object.
This is happening in an area near me in East London and no doubt repeated up and down the UK.
Such developments and tactics no longer make the news since they are such a common feature and the U.K. appears to have become compliant anyway
Susan B says
When 100,000 turned out to hate on Trump, and when 0 turned out to support him, at least that was how it appeared in the News, the British people have sold out to islam and the globalist. I pray for Tommy and those that still fight but the war has been lost. RIP
Terry Cotter says
Brisbane airport has existed as an airport since around WW11and even prior, the ‘field’ was used by planes, although as you can understand very few. Now it is quite a busy airport as can be expected as the population increases. A couple of years ago units were built under the flight path. These units sold fast. Not long after the residents had all settled in they petitioned the government claiming the planes disrupted their sleep plus a string of other points and demanded the airport close. As you would expect this failed. To my mind, if you build beside some existing facility (say a sewerage treatment plant) you have no redress against problems arising there from. However on the other side, if the council propose building a sewerage treatment beside your (long) existing home you have every right to oppose this and/or seek compensation to your satisfaction. Whatever the proposed facility is, is irrelevant as is the right for your objection.
J D S says
Hmmmm..Sewage plant???? Or mosque??? What a quandary.
Benedict says
Any mosque anywhere in the West provides a comfort zone for terrorists and that’s what the mosques are there for. And there in the mosque can dr. Jekyll, with his subtle Islamic double talk, undisturbed, by help of the resentment and hate that’s inseparable from Islam, conjure up mr. Hyde, his conjoined twin, in the members of his congregation. And we in the West will reap the fruits of our credulity.
Islam has been scrutinized and found wanting of those with eyes to see.
gravenimage says
+1
Bob Carrillo says
Sad, is a word, which does not cover this…
It is a repeat of the Thomas Jefferson days, and “The Barbary Pirates”.. The only difference, is that Americans are not that smart any longer..
The enemy is not “at the gate”. The enemy is inside the gate now, and in large numbers. Just look at western Europe and the UK for all the proof you need, to support the argument, that THIS IS NOT WORKING..
Unfortunately, and for all of their 1,400 years of history, and counting, THEY do NOT make good house guests.. Not grateful Guests. Not hospitable guests. And, NOT friendly guests either..
As a parasite is to a “host”, this 1,400 year old political war machine, masquerading as a “religion of peace”, or any religion at all for that matter, and hiding behind OUR U.S. Constitution and OUR Bill of Rights for cover and protection, whilst relentlessly engaging in anti-civilization mischief, this “cult” will devour everything in its path..
One of my favorite stories is as follows. It is true, and it is on point.. WE “Infidels” are nothing but targets to these people.
What is An Infidel?
The author, Rick Mathes, is a well-known leader in prison ministry. The man who walks with God always gets to his destination. If you have a pulse you have a purpose.
The Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion per capita in the U S, especially in the minority races. Not the Catholics, not the Mormons. Last month I attended my annual training session that’s required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by 3 speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant & Muslim faiths, who each explained their beliefs.
I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say. The Muslim gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam, complete with a video.
After the presentations, time was provided for questions & answers. When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Muslim & asked: ‘Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but I understand that most Imams & clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the infidels of the world &, that by killing an infidel, (which is a command to all Muslims) they are assured of a place in heaven. If that’s the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?’
There was no disagreement with my statements &without hesitation, he replied, ” Nonbelievers” .
I responded, ‘So, let me make sure I have this straight. All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can have a place in heaven.. Is that correct?’
The expression on his face changed from one of authority & command to that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.’
He sheepishly ….. “Yes”
I then stated, ‘Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine The Pope commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr. Stanley ordering all Protestants to do the same in order to guarantee them a place in heaven!’
The Muslim was speechless.
I continued, ‘I also have a problem with being your friend when you & your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me! Let me ask you another a question:
Would you rather have your Allah, who tells you to kill me in order for you to go to heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to heaven & He wants you to be there with me?’
You could have heard a pin drop. Needless to say, the organizers & promoters of the ‘Diversification’ training seminar were not happy with my way of dealing with the Islamic Imam & exposing the truth about the Muslims’ beliefs.
In 20 years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. to elect the President !
I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on! This is your chance to make a difference.
DBM echo says
Muslim Americans?
Like unicorns, they don’t exist. Neither do Muslim British, or Muslim Canadians, or Muslim French, and so forth. So maybe they have in hand all the paperwork of superficial citizenship, but all of that would have been falsely, fraudulently, obtained through lying.
Muslims prove this point over and over again. And they state it over and over as well. Namely, that they are loyal only to Islam, and to nothing else. Affirmed by the Orlando shooter, by the Fort Hood murderer, by the Boston Bombers, by the Paris Bombers, by the 911 hijackers, the countless murders by Muslims in Europe (Lee Rigby, Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan, et alia) and on and on. Explaining why Muslims can never be trusted and never be considered loyal Americans, British, Canadians, French, Italian, Australian, and so forth. They represent an enemy living among us.
Here in America, as elsewhere, Muslims are out for colonization and conquest. They cannot be considered Americans because of their adoption of Islam, and their wish to impose it on us. By force, since they will follow their 1400-year practice, should we decline their we-won’t-be-taking-no-for-an-answer “offer” to adopt Islam. Shariah (total government) and American constitutional principles (government contained/controlled by the people) couldn’t be farther apart. To the Muslim no man-made law could ever be superior to the Shariah considered by them to come directly from their Allah.
Is it possible to conceive of a Muslim American? No way. At best and at most they can only be described as “Muslims who live in North America,” but they are not Americans in the heart, where it counts. I’m gladdened to see more and more real Americans are seeing Muslims for the danger that they are.
Michael Copeland says
“I am a traitor to America because my religion requires me to be.”
Samir Khan:
abad says
+1
If I have said it once I have said it a million times:
Christians want to convert you.
Moslems want to kill you.
Lydia Church says
I’m glad you leveled him with truth!
Wellington says
Every mosque in America stands as an insult to the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the American Constitution, the First guaranteeing various freedoms and the Fourteenth guaranteeing equality under the law. Islam is opposed to both freedom and legal equality, just as Nazism and Marxism are. The symbols of Islam (e.g. the hijab) are equivalent to the symbols of Nazism (e.g., the swastika) and Marxism (e.g. the hammer and sickle) in the sense that they all represent a belief system that is a mortal enemy of liberty. Mosques represent in architectural form an ideology which is antithetical to the basic principles of the American Republic.
All this does not mean that I think mosques should be banned in America but they should be looked upon very much in the negative, just as all of Islam should be, just as all of Marxism and Nazism should be even though these last two ideologies also have a right to exist in the US but never should they, nor Islam, be thought of as something good or beneficial to this nation. Islam, Nazism and Marxism stand in stark contrast to what America at its best represents. Islam, Nazism and Marxism could have never built America but they all would be willing to use what America created in order to destroy America. There’s no getting around this.
Elizabeth Lawson says
Here we have yet another example of attempted Islamic dominance and covert activity to achieve its ends. Time is LONG overdue for western governments and their citizens to step up and call a spade a spade. We KNOW the history of Islam. We KNOW that they slaughtered roughly eight hundred million victims of all faith traditions – and none ( excepting their own) in their murderous march across the civilized world. We KNOW that they closely followed the writings of their murderous leader in the Koran. We can read his words today, and even the most feeble minded of us can comprehend what “ Kill them when you see them” means. What is inexplicable.to those with even half a brain, is the conduct of our politicians across the West, many Neville Chamberlains in our societies, and a growing cavalcade of idiots who, with NO knowledge of this curse on our shores, declare their support for Islam. Complicit in the invasion of these….warriors, from the Middle East, are Western Politicians. Their silence regarding the mute response from Arab countries regarding the plight of their fellow religionists, is simply reprehensible. These same Arab countries are wealthy beyond compare, yet, little ( but strongly Roman Catholic) Ireland is being ( forced? coerced?) into accepting one million Muslims. I am an Irish woman, born and bred, and like so many of my generation – and many others past and present, had to leave my perennially economically depressed country for employment. Ireland, a country of tolerance – (thanks to Christianity) and kindness, has NEVER been known to be well off. The Irish PM has asked householders there to offer their extra bedrooms to immigrants. I wonder, will he? How well does anyone think that this immigration will work in Catholic Ireland? My stance on this matter is simple. We are SICK to death of you and your violent ideology. Go home.
Susan B says
+1
somehistory says
This lying creep is most likely a card carrying member of the MB. It is the goal of moslims to take over the entire planet and reduce ti to a place where only worship of satan is allowed.
Jesus Christ said of satan the devil, “He is a liar and the father of the lie…and the truth is not in him.”
The children of satan the devil are imitators of the demon and lie just as he lies…and the truth is not in them.
Anything is allowed to further islam. moslims are like heat-seeking missiles….wherever there is life…which produces heat….moslims seek to eliminate it…by whatever means is available to them. and lying is so very easy for moslims…it’s as natural to them as breathing is to all other life forms.
And they will suffer a huge defeat by the Word of Truth.
IanB says
Yes, Islam must suffer a huge defeat through words of truth about Islam being told over and over. I very much doubt that the red herrings of “satan”, Jesus of Nazareth, “true god” or ANY supernatural phenomenon will have any relevance to that defeat.
somehistory says
Doubt all you want. But Jesus is not a “red herring.” Neither is the True God a “red herring.”
What Jesus and His Father have had to say about it, and what They will do about it, are not only relevant, but absolutely necessary for islam…and all other evil…to be defeated.
Mankind cannot defeat evil without the help from our Creator and His Son. And the proof of that is soon to be displayed.
somehistory says
Thank you, joanofark06. I appreciate your comment.
Susan B says
Actually IanB muslims are having visions and dreams of Jesus and experiencing his miracles every day. Millions of muslims are converting to Christianity in islamic countries every day. There were hardly any Christians left in Africa after all that convert or die and rape jihad evil, there are now over 600 million. The same is happening all over the islamic world. This was foretold in the Bible. So yes Jesus is very relevant to the defeat of islam. The video below is just one example. You can do your own research for many other examples out there. There is a reason that islam is doubling down on murdering Christians in islamic countries, most are ex-muslims.
“Only nine million Christians were in Africa in 1900”. “Yale University historian Lamin Sanneh stated that African Christianity was not just an exotic, curious phenomenon in an obscure part of the world, but that “African Christianity might be the shape of things to come.”[19] The statistics from the World Christian Encyclopedia (David Barrett) illustrate the emerging trend of dramatic Christian growth on the continent and supposes, that in 2025 there will be 633 million Christians in Africa.[20]”
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_Africa
gravenimage says
Good to see.
gravenimage says
Hugh Fitzgerald: The Mosque At Basking Ridge: A Morality Tale? (Part 2)
……………..
There are apt to be more and more of these insane cases.
Wellington says
Many. Way too many, gravenimage.
Islam is arguably the greatest parasite in history. And parasites ordinarily end up destroying “the host.” Islam means to destroy America and anyone asserting otherwise I consider a fool or a liar.
IanB says
Why can’t others see this? It’s so obvious: a clearly stated intention supported by their theology and history. Surely enough precedents have occurred to convince anyone of the with an ounce of gumption (an old fashioned but pertinent word) of the Islamic threat to freedom and civilisation. The blindness of Western politicians to this threat must be intentional or it it really due to ignorance? When will the scales fall from their eyes? When it’s too late? It probably is already too late in the UK, Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium …
Wellington says
With every passing year, IanB, it seems more likely that it’ll be the “too late” situation.
imwithstoopid says
As they, “There are none so blind as those who will not see”,
May as well be the liberal mantra.
So I do not care about those liberals that this is all about, NIMBYs, all.
gravenimage says
This is not just ignorance in many cases–this is willful denial. All too many just don’t want to know.
dumbledoresarmy says
I wonder where the nearest ‘ACT for America’ chapters are, to Barking Ridge.
If there is no ACT for America chapter in or near Barking Ridge, perhaps any jihadwatch lurkers who live in that vicinity could get busy and set one up.
And the good citizens of Barking Ridge perhaps need to be directed to Gavin Boby, of the Law and Freedom Foundation, who could give them some extra tips and encouragement.
The goal, for ACT for America, should be to have a chapter in every town and suburb in the USA – and to have more signed up members, than there are Muslims in the USA. Then the lobbying and the resistance can ramp up by several orders of magnitude.
EVERY chapter should have, in its library, not only a couple of Spencer’s key works, but also Sam Solomon’s ‘Al Hijra – the Islamic Doctrine of Immigration’, and ‘The Mosque Exposed’, and Mark Durie’s ‘Which God?’ and ‘The Third Choice: Islam, Dhimmitude, and Freedom’ (churches should also get hold of ‘Liberty to the Captives’ and study it carefully). The Barnabas Fund booklet ‘What is Sharia?’ is very useful for giving to politicians, journalists, and clergy. And Ibn Warraq’s ‘The Islam in Islamic Terrorism’ should also be circulated as widely as possible.
The Muslims get where they do, by pester pester pester.
The Infidels must in response refuse to despair, refuse to give up, refuse to surrender. Keep pushing back. Even if you lose here and there; keep trying.
gravenimage says
Basking Ridge is in New Jersey–I don’t think there is a chapter of Act for America there–but there are chapters in nearby New York State that New Jerseyans could join–or they could start their own chapter.
It is a really nice area, and quite historic–the last place that needs to be sullied with a Mosque.