More on minarets

More on minarets

We edtorialized this week on the Swiss vote to ban the building of minarets – tall, slender towers next to mosques. The ban put me in mind of a similar happening many years ago.

I was a reporter for a general-interest newspaper, doing all the scutwork, covering meeting after meeting in several Bergen County towns: council meetings, board of education meetings, planning board meetings, zoning board meetings.

It was at one of those meetings when a proposal to build a Sikh temple came before the board.

Now, that particular town is – or was – very old-fashioned and with a predominantly Christian population. The proposal drew many opponents. Finally it was decided that the Sikhs could build their temple but not on the street. So they built it behind a gas station, where it was visible only in the distance.

A few years ago, I drove by the site. The gas station was gone, and the lovely white temple was in full view.

I cannot think it hurt the town.

RKB

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