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Opposition to mosque reeks of racism

In the June 4 Journal, some of the reasons advanced by North Valley residents in opposition to a mosque being built on Second Street north of Alameda reek of racism:

• That this is a Christian country and Muslims have no place here.

• That Muslims cut off the heads of those who do not agree with them.

• That Muslims are about coming into New Mexico and taking over, and 鈥渉aving their way of life infiltrated into our ways.鈥�

The freedom of religion 鈥� all religions 鈥� is one of the most basic rights our forefathers set out in the initial laws of the United States, as well as in the laws of New Mexico. That right is guaranteed to Muslims as much as it is to Christians and any other religion.

I question whether any of the North Valley residents in opposition to the mosque ever visited an sa国际传媒官网网页入口 mosque to learn about Islam for themselves. The positions posed by some of the North Valley residents breed racism.

I was happy to read that the Muslim community that has applied to build a new mosque will continue with its efforts and not be cowed by the racist vitriol or baseless claims of some of the North Valley residents.

Ron Taylor

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Please support North Valley mosque

County commissioners, I am writing regarding the mosque construction on North Second Street and Alameda by the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Islamic Center. The responses from the neighborhood are not based on research and are xenophobic. Research from multiple sources is clear that houses of worship promote neighborhood . Alcohol retail sales outlets are associated with increased rates of crime including .

Please support the inclusion and development of the mosque in my neighborhood. I welcome the addition of diverse cultures, values, viewpoints and people in my neighborhood. The research is also clear on the benefits of linguistic and cultural diversity.

We are a diverse state, county and city. I urge you all to support the development of a place of worship.

Ann Del Vecchio

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Welcoming strangers is a cornerstone of faith

I am writing to express my support for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Islamic Center as it seeks to build a new mosque in the North Valley. As a minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ, I have experienced the Islamic center鈥檚 interfaith collaboration and hospitality firsthand. The center has welcomed us into its worship space and shown a commitment to interfaith dialogue and action. The center generously cares for the most vulnerable in our city by feeding hundreds of people each week.

I am disappointed that people would oppose the building of a worship space. I am really concerned about the hatred and vitriol expressed toward this community. I am a resident of the North Valley and I welcome the addition of a new mosque into this area. We have the opportunity to be bridge builders of peace, and it is my hope that people will take the time to get to know members of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Islamic Center and learn for themselves that they are good people and good neighbors. For people of faith, welcoming the stranger has been a basic value and we must honor one another. I am asking the people of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Welcome the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Islamic Center and you will be blessed by their kindness.

Rev. Sue Joiner

Senior Minister

First Congregational United Church of Christ

Two religious communities were recently attacked 

Last week, two religious communities in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 were attacked 鈥� one with vile, hateful and threatening words and the other by acts of vandalism against two of its institutions. Both attacks were against these religious communities for simply being who they are and how they worship.

On June 3, The Bernalillo County Planning Commission was scheduled to hold an appeal hearing about a permit to build a mosque. The sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Islamic Center had already received approval, with added conditions, to build its new mosque on Second Street NW, just north of Osuna. A neighborhood association appealed, allegedly based on concerns about lighting and traffic. Because of hostile, Islamophobic rhetoric and threats making them fear for their safety, the Islamic Center requested the hearing be rescheduled.

Just the day before, on June 2, a man used a sledgehammer or ax to smash windows at Congregation Albert. Shortly thereafter, a person believed to be the same man smashed windows at the Jewish Community Center a couple of miles away. The alleged perpetrator reportedly told his family he was 鈥済oing to kill Jews.鈥�

It is deeply disturbing to learn about incidents like these in other parts of the country. It is incredibly painful to see them happen here in our wonderfully diverse state. Antisemitism and Islamophobia should not be tolerated as hate only begets hate.

Congregation Nahalat Shalom understands the need for a place where people can gather to pray, study, educate their children and share in the joys and sorrows of life. We support the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Islamic Center in its efforts to build a place of gathering and worship.

Nancy Koenigsberg on behalf of the Board of Congregation Nahalat Shalom

Socorro County is celebrating the halt of data center

What a relief it is to hear that the huge data center and industrial solar array proposed for Socorro County is off the table (鈥�New Mexico Tech halts controversial data center project鈥� in the June 2 Journal). Such a development is completely inappropriate for a desert environment that has been plagued by long-term drought, and for its proximity to population centers such as Magdalena and the city of Socorro.

We owe this outcome both to tenacious investigative reporting such as that of Jessica Carranza Pino of El Defensor Chieftain and to the sustained efforts of community members, who attended public meetings in great numbers and spoke up too forcefully to be ignored. Our victory demonstrates, for any who may still doubt it, the power of journalism and direct action to change the world.

Surely there will be more such battles to come, but for now we in Socorro County are celebrating.

Janet Goldstein 

Socorro

The case against Dean Carey falls short

The op-ed piece in the June 7 Sunday Journal urging the University of New Mexico Law School Dean Camille Carey's contract not be renewed is long on innuendo and hyperbole and short on facts. Let's examine the authors' assertions individually.

The UNM is not admitting New Mexico residents at a level proportional to the applicant pool because one-third of the 2026 and 2027 classes are nonresidents compared to 12% in prior years. Is this Carey's fault or the fault of our notoriously inferior public education system? The authors don't say but the innuendo is there.

Seven full-time faculty members have departed under Carey's tenure. Doctors and other medical providers are also leaving the state at an alarming rate. Is this also Carey's fault? Perhaps faculty members are relocating to states that have a lower crime rate, better public education, better medical care, lower taxes and higher salaries.

Finally, a university is not a legislature that represents its constituents proportionally. It is an institution of higher learning that should admit students based on academic merit, not ethnic background.The emphasis on the representation of diverse ethnicities in the student body does not produce academic excellence, and this mindset is why New Mexico is near the bottom in every metric that matters.

Joel Widman

Rio Rancho