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Gurvis’ presence and conciliatory words were used as evidence by the mainstream media to prove that Boston’s Jewish community thinks the mosque is a great addition to the area. Jacobs has repeatedly pointed out that Gurvis is in fact a utopian leftist who doesn’t come close to speaking for Boston Jews, most of whom oppose the mosque, not because of religious intolerance, but because of the kind of people who financed, built and are currently running The Islamic Society of Boston Mosque. The mosque was paid for by Saudi money and Saudi money inevitably means Wahhabi money and all of the implications that follow when radicals make a $16 million investment. The mosque is run by the Muslim Society of America, which federal prosecutors have called “the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.” In the short time that it’s been in operating, the mosque has already been tied to or has offered support to several accused and convicted terrorists. Opponents of the project worried that the mega-mosque would become the east-coast center for jihadi activity and the early returns suggest that those fears were not unfounded.
Jacobs took Gurvis on in The Jewish Advocate, presumably both to make the point that Gurvis doesn’t speak for the Jewish community in Massachusetts and to point out once again just what the mega-mosque in Roxbury is really all about. While there’s no accounting for taste, I found Jacobs’ arguments cogent, factual and respectful. He’s critical of a particular viewpoint, not the viewer. Most of his piece is dedicated to recounting the troubled history of the controversial mosque and to criticizing Governor Patrick’s unwavering support for the mosque. Jacobs’ “viscous, personal” attack on Rabbi Gurvis is encompassed in this paragraph:
“Finally, why does Rabbi Gurvis refuse to acknowledge what he has been shown in official documents: that the MAS is a Muslim Brotherhood organization; that the mosque was funded by Wahabbi Saudis, not known to fund moderate mosques; and that the MAS/ISB leaders have invited defamers of Jews and Christians to “educate” the historically moderate Boston Muslim community? Rabbi Gurvis knows all this. Maybe for him it’s “my Muslim friends, right or wrong.” Or maybe the rabbi’s need to demonstrate his moral superiority by caring for the “other” – no matter how radical or extreme – trumps any foreseeable consequences.”
Rather than calling on Gurvis to answer Jacobs’ very reasonable, if troubling, questions, the Rabbi’s defenders chose to defame the messenger instead. Their rose-colored glasses have so blinded them that they refuse to acknowledge that a wolf in sheep’s clothing might just be on the prowl in their midst, even though this particular wolf isn’t particularly careful about hiding its fangs.
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