County Commissioner Maria Sachs leads a discussion of the proposed Islamic Center of West Delray Beach, which is approved to be built in the Agriculture Reserve. Photos provided
By Janis Fontaine
An overflow crowd showed up to a meeting hosted by County Commissioner Maria Sachs in early October to protest three approved projects in the Agriculture Reserve in western Delray Beach. The parking lot was filled with people who were unable to get one of 300 available seats inside the Dr. André Fladell Civic Center.
At issue: A proposed Islamic Center, a future DMV facility and the planned Chabad Chai center on Clint Moore Road.
Tempers ran hot. Some, including Sachs, called for a moratorium on all building in the 22,000-acre reserve, but most used the politics as a smokescreen to hide thinly disguised bigotry toward Muslims.
The proposed Islamic Center of West Delray Beach was approved by the administration in 2022, in keeping with the Unified Land Development Code that governs property development in the Ag Reserve.
It would be built on 6 acres at the southeast corner of Lyons Road and 152nd Place South, a former plant nursery. An adjacent 3,632-square-foot sanctuary and a 3,600-square-foot multipurpose building intended to house a school and daycare were approved in 2023.
The code says certain projects — including houses of worship and government facilities — can be approved by the development review officer, an administrative team within the Planning, Zoning and Building Department, without a public County Commission hearing, as long as they meet basic code requirements. Every year, projects are approved without protest.
The meeting was supposed to be a discussion of the future of the Ag Reserve, but it quickly became a forum to speak out against Islam. Both anti-Islam and antisemitic rhetoric have grown louder in the wake of Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel, and after the meeting, comments on news stories and social media message boards exploded with hateful statements, many false.
A Muslim woman in a hijab who called herself Anna invited the crowd to come to her mosque and ask questions about her religion. Some jeered.
In response, the Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association made an official statement that read, in part:
“Over the past week we have seen painful and at times hateful remarks about various faith traditions in online conversations about this issue. We condemn unreservedly any expressions of hatred, bigotry, and the vitriol we have seen. We cannot tolerate this level of intolerance.
“We always encourage residents to bring their concerns to elected officials. We ask that they do so with respect and gratitude for the blessing of a diverse religious community.
“We stand together in defending every faith community’s right to gather and to build houses of worship and community centers. This is a fundamental freedom of our American democracy, and it is essential to living out our commitments to our faiths.”
The same people so anxious to exercise their First Amendment rights to speak out against Islam ignored that the First Amendment also guarantees the right to worship the God we choose. This country was founded by people escaping religious persecution, but it was not founded as a ‘Christian nation.’ ”
Father Andrew Sherman of St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church of Boca Raton said, “As a co-convener of the Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association, we stand against any kind of bigotry. We certainly believe that every house of worship ought to have an opportunity to have a place to gather, to worship and to do activities that are important to the community. That’s who we are as Americans.”
Father Andrew said he believes what’s driving some of the protests is intolerance. “If they’re using politics as an excuse to be anti-Muslim, you call it out,” he said. “You have to say that it’s not appropriate. Yes, it is a free country, and people can say vile things, but it must be challenged.”
Father Andrew says BRICA’s members represent many religions, and “we do feel that part of our role is to be the conscience of the community. We stand with houses of worship wanting to have places to exercise their ministry.”
David Steinhardt, formerly rabbi at B’nai Torah Congregation and the former president of BRICA, is currently the senior faculty and engagement officer at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He’s studied racial and sectarian hate.
“It’s rooted in fear of the unknown,” he said. “When something or someone is not known, then they become suspicious. Suspicion leads to fear, and that often leads to anger. I believe many of these people carry the scars of Oct. 7 with them. I think they are losing sight of their responsibilities as American citizens — that this is a country that’s rooted in freedom of religion and justice for all.”
Over the years, Steinhardt has developed relationships with members of the Islamic Center of Boca Raton. “These have been respectful, productive relationships. From everything that I know, there is not a single reason for us to be suspicious of this group locally,” he said.
“What’s happening here is a reflection of the political climate, which is a climate of intolerance. And we have to shift that. We need acceptance. There’s a lot of work that has to be done.”
Calls to the Islamic Center of Boca Raton for comment on this story were not returned.
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.
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