Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Speaker Menin addresses religious tolerance and the importance of interfaith leadership
1:33:23
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141 sec
Speaker Menin reflects on her advocacy for the Islamic Cultural Center in Lower Manhattan and the necessity of standing against Islamophobia and antisemitism. She emphasizes the historic nature of the city's current leadership and the need for unity during times of global tension.
- She recounts facing death threats while supporting the construction of the Islamic Cultural Center and mosque
- She acknowledges the presence of Daisy Khan, a key proponent of the cultural center project
- Menin highlights the significance of having the city's first Muslim mayor and first Jewish speaker serving together to bridge divides
Julie Menin
1:33:23
But our city also faced another distressing issue in the wake of nine eleven, the deplorable surge of Islamophobia.
1:33:32
When the construction of an Islamic cultural center was proposed near Ground 0, a center to foster dialogue and unity, people fiercely opposed it.
1:33:43
And that shameful opposition sent a signal to Muslim New Yorkers that they did not belong in a city that was meant to welcome everyone.
1:33:52
When their freedom of religion was protested in public, we could not stand by in silence.
1:33:59
Along with Daisy Khan, who proposed a project and who I'm so honored is here with us today.
1:34:04
Daisy, thank you.
1:34:05
We stood up to champion the rights of every New Yorker.
1:34:10
Despite the death threats I received not for a week, not for a month, but for well over a year, we did not waver in support of this project.
1:34:18
So as chair of the community board, I was proud to write the resolution and guide it through our community boards to vote overwhelmingly in favor of the Islamic Cultural Center and mosque.
1:34:31
Sadly, that surge we saw over 20 ago is not unlike the atmosphere that we are unfortunately currently experiencing.
1:34:39
Hatred and violence are running rampant across our country and around the world.
1:34:45
From the horrific shooting of Brown University to the anti semitic terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, it's happening all over.
1:34:54
And we must ensure that New York continues to serve as a beacon of hope, of tolerance, and inclusion.
1:35:02
We live in a day when the first Muslim mayor of New York City and now the first Jewish speaker of the council are serving at the same time.
1:35:16
This moment is truly historic, but what will write this interfaith leadership into the history books is if it can act as an opportunity for all of us to come together, to calm tensions, to bridge divides, and to recognize we are one city no matter the religion we practice or the language we speak.
1:35:38
Building that Islamic cultural center meant upholding the dignity that every New Yorker deserves.