Voorhees mosque seen as a national model

Emotions were running high at the zoning board meetings in Voorhees. One resident after another stood up to denounce a mosque proposal. Some were stirred by anonymous fliers warning of "extremists" with possible "connections to terrorists."

But the soft-spoken Zia Rahman patiently answered their concerns more than six years ago and reached out like a diplomat to other faiths.

The successful effort by mosque trustee Rahman and fellow area Muslims against stiff opposition has become a national model, even as controversy rages over a proposed Islamic center near the 9/11 attack site in New York City.

A one-hour film, Talking Through Walls, depicting Rahman's struggle and support from other faiths, has been shown on public television stations and at public events from Philadelphia to Alaska over the last year.

It was presented last month at Park51, site of the planned Muslim cultural center and mosque in Manhattan, and is being shown on New Jersey Network through Monday, as well as at a Nov. 7 public event in Medford.

"We tell people to look at what happened" in Voorhees, said Zahida Rahman, widow of Zia, who died last year at 64 of a brain tumor. "There was so much opposition, but look what came out of it.

"We are together, brothers and sisters in this community," she said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a national Muslim civil-liberties and advocacy organization based in Washington, praised the Voorhees effort and has encouraged others to reach out to communities as Zia Rahman did, speaking at churches and synagogues.

Rahman's work of building bridges led to an unusual cooperation agreement between the Catholic Diocese of Camden and the Muslim American Community Association, which operates the mosque.

The positive outcome stands in contrast to a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey in August showing that the American public's "favorable view" of Islam dropped from 41 percent five years ago to 30 percent today.

The survey of more than 1,000 adults also found 51 percent agreeing more with those who object to building an Islamic center and mosque near the former World Trade Center site. Thirty-four percent believed the project should go forward.

This month, CAIR announced an Islamophobia department to organize conferences, seminars, cultural exchanges, and other activities intended to encourage dialogue and education.