No, plans for a mosque in Mukilteo should not have been met with an initially anonymous campaign of postcards that, by its email address — Mukilteostaysafe@gmail.com — seemed to imply the Islamic Center of Mukilteo posed some threat to the community.
An April 9 email sent from the above account was more explicit, threatening a lawsuit and adding, “Those of you that understand the danger, you need to be calling Mayor (Jennifer) Gregerson, and the city council.”
That Muslims in and around Mukilteo wish to build a place of worship and fellowship near their homes should not be viewed any differently than when the members of other faiths seek to build or expand their places of worship. The free exercise of religion, a First Amendment right for all Americans, should require no further elaboration here.
Nor should Islam or mosques seem that unfamiliar to residents of Snohomish County. A 2010 census of religions estimates that about 4.5 percent of county residents are Muslim. And our communities already are home to mosques or Islamic centers in Everett, Bothell, Mountlake Terrace, Monroe and Lynnwood.
Shortly after The Herald first reported on the postcards, the email account was linked to Peter Zieve, president and owner of Electroimpact, the Mukilteo-based supplier of automated assembly machines for Boeing and others in the aerospace industry. Angered that a prominent member of the business community would lead such a campaign, supporters of the proposed mosque, including Mohammed Riaz Kahn, who ran for Mukilteo City Council last year, called on Boeing, General Electric and others to boycott Electroimpact because of Zieve’s apparent promotion of anti-Muslim discrimination.
To his credit, Zieve last week said he planned to apologize for launching the campaign against the Mukilteo mosque. A Muslim writer living in Seattle has offered to set up a meeting between Zieve and supporters of the Islamic Center of Mukilteo to defuse the situation, as The Herald’s Sharon Salyer reported last week.
While the offense felt by supporters of the mosque is understandable, in the interests of preparing the ground for such a meeting, we suggest that the mosque’s supporters officially rescind their call for a boycott.
The boycott itself, while aimed at Zieve, would have had a broader effect, potentially harming employees at Electroimpact and their families who had no part and likely no knowledge of the emails and postcards. This is Zieve’s issue to address, not his company’s, nor its employees.
Rescinding the call for a boycott also is in the best interests of the mosque’s supporters. By leaving the threat of boycott in place, those who seek it will have less certainty of Zieve’s sincerity in listening to their concerns and offering his apology. It should matter to all involved that Zieve’s promised apology has not been coerced.
What started in secrecy and mistrust now offers the opportunity for the larger Mukilteo community and the supporters of the mosque to come to a better understanding and a greater respect for each other. Both sides should make the most of that opportunity.
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