Alabama Doctor Building Mosque in Montgomery
Montgomerians might know him as a pediatrician who, besides being chair of the Pediatric Department at Baptist South and Chief of Pediatrics at Health Services Inc., practices at just about every local hospital and some private practices. Those who don't know Zaied from his health care work might know him as the man who wants to build a mosque in east Montgomery.
Zaied has been planning the mosque for the past five years since he, with the help of other donors, purchased the property on Vaughn Road.
For the past eight years, Zaied and other Muslims who live away from the mosques on the west and south sides of the city have been renting a private space to worship. The cost of the space is $52,000 a year, meaning Zaied and other Muslims have collectively paid more than $400,000 to practice their religion on the east side.
Zaied who was set to go before the city's board of adjustment Thursday, his mission of building a place for Muslims to worship in east Montgomery is moving along.
"There's so many churches, and we don't have a place of worship in east Montgomery," Zaied said.
It has also drawn the ire of residents living near the proposed mosque site in the Deer Creek and Glynnwood neighborhoods.
Before Glynnwood held a residents' meeting to discuss the mosque on July 21, Glynnwood Homeowner's Association President Paul Hayner told the residents by email that the mosque "will have a drastic negative impact on property value in the surrounding neighborhoods."
Other residents told city councilmen that they opposed the mosque, because they were scared of "radical Islam”.
And yet, none of this has discouraged Zaied, himself a Deer Creek resident.
"People don't like change, and they're scared of something they don't know," Zaied said Wednesday. "They don't know us, but they will find us to be a very good neighbor. I came to Montgomery for a three-year commitment. We have stayed here for 16 years, and I plan to live in this city for the rest of my life. I love this city. I love the people."
And yet, he understands the fear.
When asked about how his religion has been painted with the same brush as radical terrorist organizations such as Daesh (ISIL), Zaied said those groups have hijacked the name of Islam.
"These people who do these acts are full of hate. Killing innocent people, who can justify that?" Zaied said.
Zaied also pointed out that Muslims aren't exempt from fearing terror attacks on American soil.
"If there's someone who says he will harm Montgomery, we will point him out, because he will also harm us you know?" Zaied said.
On Aug. 11, Deer Creek residents held their own meeting at which a number of people spoke in favor of the mosque and religious freedom. Others remained opposed.
On Aug. 16, Zaied met with the Deer Creek Homeowner's Association Board of Directors.
Board President Mike DeLaura wouldn't comment about the meeting, but Zaied said it went "very well."
The board reportedly expressed some concerns to Zaied such as traffic, noise and lighting. Zaied promised to address each concern.
"Their concern was the noise, traffic and lighting, and we will address all of these to make them happy," Zaied said. "For the noise, we will do nothing at night. For the lighting, we will direct it away from Deer Creek. For the traffic, we will comply with all requirements of the city."
The mosque Zaied is proposing is 6,000 square feet and next to two churches, Christchurch and Immanuel Presbyterian Church.
It is also being funded by other prominent Montgomery Muslims with many — three cardiologists, two endocrinologists, and four Veterans Affairs doctors to name a few — who are also involved in local health care.
Zaied's mother-in-law even donated 1,017 grams of gold worth more than $40,000 to the project.
For Zaied, the mosque is a community effort by Montgomerians for Montgomerians. Zaied hopes locals will see him as just that: a local.
"We want to build a good relationship with our neighbors. This is why we came to the community to ask them what we can do to make them happy," Zaied said. "I want my community to have a place."
Source: al.com
