An "other side" perspective on the Wallingford mosque controversy

Craig Fishbein, a Wallingford attorney leading opposition to a mosque near his neighborhood, has done a good job of sticking to the facts and making his case. But he may want to rethink this sentence from an op-ed piece he wrote in June that was also repeated in a front page story this past Sunday : “It is very easy to sit on the other side of town and point a finger claiming ‘prejudice’ when you won’t be affected by the traffic and parking.”

I’ve talked to people from the “other side” who feel strongly that this is an issue of religious freedom and tolerance. Like me, they have churches in their neighborhoods and wouldn’t mind of having a mosque.

As someone who has covered and lived in town for more than 20 years, I also think it is interesting what the “newer” section of town considers potentially harmful development. Those of us who live closer to downtown and Route 5 have had to put up with a lot more than houses of worship. For decades, many have complained about the trash plant, sewage plant, landfill and Cytec all being located nearby. At one point, there was a serious concern about cancer clusters. I think I speak for a lot of “other side” residents when I say we would welcome mosques and gladly move the landfill, trash and chemical plants over to the eastern portion of Route 68. Let me know what you think.