Having lived in the US most of my life, I don’t regard this as particularly startling, but perhaps others might. Voters in Teaneck [New Jersey] have chosen the first Muslim mayor in Bergen County. And while he said his religion wasn’t a factor, it’s still a major mark of tolerance for a place with a huge Jewish population. Teaneck has 14 synagogues and lots of stores catering to the town’s large Jewish population. And now they have a new mayor, Mohammed Hameeduddin, who is Muslim. “What’s wrong with that?” asked resident Art Ekelchik. “He’s an American citizen. Isn’t he? That’s all that counts, right.” “He seems to be somebody who is putting Teaneck first and not necessarily religion first, looking at what’s good for the community, which is what he is supposed to do,” resident Shari Baran added.
…..
The mayor said Teaneck’s Jews helped him get elected and that the Jews and non-Jews of Teaneck want the same thing. “We want to have children. We want a life better for our children. We want to live in a town where they have a good education with a good quality of life, you know. You just want the American dream,” Hameeduddin said. I hope Pamela Geller and company are eating their hearts out. |
Posted via email from Garth's posterous
No comments:
Post a Comment