By Tien-Shun Lee
The leader of a national Islamic organization demanded an apology last week from a Buddhist group with a temple in Flushing that allegedly posted anti-Islamic statements on its Web site that referred to Allah as a “figment of the imagination” and a “heartless and uncharitable god.”
“They have hurt the feelings of not only the seven to 10 million Muslims in America, but the almost 1.2 billion Muslims all over the world,” said Ghazi Khankan, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations of New York, who spoke in front of the Nichiren Shoshu Temple of New York at 143-63 Beech Ave. on July 9, calling for an apology from the Buddhists.
Since the alleged anti-Islamic remarks were removed from the Buddhists’ Web site before Khankan called for the news conference, the content in question could not be viewed firsthand last week.
Following his speech and comments from some other local Islamic leaders, Khankan hand-delivered an envelope to the Flushing Buddhist temple containing a letter demanding an apology for the anti-Islamic remarks, attached to a petition with 388 signatures from members of two mosques on Long Island.
A member of the Buddhist temple said the leader of the temple, the Rev. Jisei Nagasaka, was not available and he had no comment about the situation.
Khankan said his organization found out about the anti-Islamic sentiments about three weeks ago when two friends called him and told him about the offensive statements, which were allegedly posted on various parts of the www.nstny.org and www.proudblackbuddhist.org Web sites.
According to Khankan, one statement by Nagasaka said, “Islam is a false religion and only Nichiren Shoshu is a true religion.” Another statement by Nagasaka’s colleague, the Rev. Kosho Mizushima, allegedly called Al-Islam an “arrogant faith that lacks compassion,” said Khankan.
The anti-Islamic statements were removed from the Buddhist Web sites early last week after the Council on American Islamic Relations officials wrote a letter to the temple expressing their shock and offense at the Web sites, Khankan said.
“Thank God they removed them,” Khankan said. “In their place there should be a clear apology.”
Khankan thanked the Buddhists for removing the offensive statements and invited their leader, High Priest Nikken Abe, who will be coming to the city from Japan in a couple of weeks, to have a dialogue with Muslim leaders to create better understanding and harmony between the two religious groups.
“If we are going to move into the future and we want America to be a place where we can live in peace, we have to come together and understand each other,” Khankan said. “The Buddhists we’ve dealt with in the past were very peaceful and understanding. To attack each other is uncalled for, useless.”
Khankan said he thought the anti-Islamic remarks might have been made out of ignorance about the Islamic faith and possibly fear of Muslims.
Other Islamic leaders who spoke out against the Buddhist Web sites on July 9 included Muhammad Tariqur Rahman, the executive director of the Islamic Circle of North America, based in Jamaica, and Imam Aiyub Abdul-Baqi, a leader of the Islamic Leadership Council of New York, a Brooklyn-based congregation of mosques in New York City.
The Council on American Islamic Relations is an independent civil rights organization with 16 offices throughout the nation that was created in 1994 to protect the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, Khankan said. It has expanded quickly, especially after Sept. 11, 2001, and has about 75,000 members.
Reach reporter Tien-Shun Lee by email at Timesledger@aol.com, or call 718-229-0300, ext. 155.
