Florida: pastor denounces mosque plan

Plans to build a mosque in a predominantly black neighborhood in Pompano Beach, Fla., have led to angry protests from some local ministers. Islam is a “dangerous, evil” religion “that preaches hatred and killing,” said the Rev. O’Neal Dozier, pastor of the 2,400-member Worldwide Christian Center, which is leading the opposition. “We live in a post-9/11 world, and the people who blew up our buildings that day were Muslims.”

Although Mr. Dozier said he has received “hundreds of phone calls, e-mails and faxes” from people all over the country who share his concerns, he does not have the support of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. William L. Lawson III, president of the North Broward NAACP, told city commissioners last week: “We cannot allow religious intolerance.”

Washington Times, 16 July 2006