By The TimesLedger
In a visit Friday to a mosque in Jamaica, Mayor Bloomberg sought to assure the congregants that the NYPD was ready to protect Muslims who might become the victims of discrimination as a result of the war in Iraq.
Standing outside the Al-Khoei Islamic Center, near the Van Wyck Expressway, the mayor said, “I pray that the day of Iraq’s deliverance from Saddam Hussein comes soon. And in the process of fighting for freedom for the peoples of Iraq, we will honor our own democratic heritage as well and ensure that the freedom of all New Yorkers is safeguarded at the same time.”
The city’s Islamic community has been on the defense since 9/11. Even the Sikhs are scared because morons mistake them for Muslims. It should be clear to anyone with half a brain that the Coalition is fighting against a vicious dictator and his regime — and not against a religion.
No one should be allowed to use this war as a pretext to express their bigotry. Queens is home to people of every religion and ethnic background. And it is the birthplace of religious tolerance. We join the mayor in the call for “all New Yorkers to respect one another and to work with one another for the good of our city.”
