Can't mosque his prejudice

Mosman is a well-to-do, educated leafy suburb on Sydney's rich North Shore. Terribly trendy, upper-crust, establishment (or wannabe). At least one local elected official put out the "not welcomed here" mat for Australian Muslims.

"The Mosman Daily this week quoted [local councilman Dominic] Lopez as saying he was concerned that "men in flowing gowns and flowing beards" had been seen inspecting the Christian Science property on Military Road, which was up for sale.

"This is a Judeo-Christian area and it would not welcome people of another faith," he said. Cr Lopez insisted he had simply been repeating concerns expressed by locals over the sight of "men with flowing beards and gowns" inspecting the church. "All I'm doing is echoing the sentiments of people that live around there," he said.

"Cr Lopez went on to say that wherever mosques were built, nearby properties took longer to sell. He said: "I had an uncle in Lakemba. They put a mosque at the end of his street, and it changed. When he died it took them a couple of years to sell the house."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/muslims-not-wanted-here-councillor/2005/10/14/1128796712328.html

I'd give you John Howard's quote condemning the official, but I can't seem to find one at the moment. I'm sure he wouldn't condone it, though. After all, he wants to end the breeding grounds of terrorism.

Maybe in tomorrow's paper I'll find something.