That Storefront Is A Mosque? Sweet! Now We Can Shut Down That Pretentious Wine Bar!

The Sun follows up on the story about the Tribeca couple who (literally) found Allah, providing them a convenient way to force out local bars, noting that one of the bars has been operating at the location for ten years and the mosque in question does not want to shut down neighborhood businesses:

As part of the process of applying for a liquor license, prospective bar owners must assert that they are in compliance with the law. The owner of the Bubble Lounge, a 10-year old bar whose license is being challenged, Eric Benn, said his establishment is 192 feet from the mosque. Mr. Benn said his business is in jeopardy.

“We’re looking forward to the government getting off our case. It’s getting to be rather repetitive – they take a great deal of money from us and then we get harassment,” Mr. Benn said. “It is impossible to detect that there is a mosque there; not even the Community Board knew.”

Since 1990, the two-story white-painted building at 245 West Broadway with drawn Venetian blinds and a locked gate has housed the Sufi mosque, Masjid al-Farah. The gold lettering on the front door does not contain the word “mosque,” but it is registered as a religious not-for-profit corporation with the state and federal government.

An administrator for the mosque, Kris Jones, said a lawyer representing the mosque submitted a letter to the state clarifying the uses of the building. She said that in addition to being a place of worship, the building serves as a space to feed the homeless and host interfaith meetings.

“We don’t have a dispute with any of the neighbors. We are here to support them. Our main thing is to be neutral,” Ms. Jones told The New York Sun. “We don’t want anyone to lose their jobs.”