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Governor to miss mosque dedication

E-mail|Link|Comments (4) Posted by Michael Paulson June 25, 2009 06:21 PM

Governor Deval Patrick, who was scheduled to headline the inaugural breakfast for the new Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury Crossing tomorrow (Friday) morning, has had to cancel his appearance in order to attend the funeral of a soldier killed in Afghanistan.

The mosque has been controversial, and local Muslims were excited about Patrick's appearance as a signal of the mosque's acceptance by the broader community. But Patrick's spokesman, Kyle Sullivan, said that Patrick is cancelling only because he wanted to attend the funeral of the late Kevin Dupont, of Templeton, who died after a Humvee in which he was riding struck a bomb. Patrick has made a practice of attending every funeral for a fallen serviceman or woman in Massachusetts.

Patrick has agreed to tape a video tribute to be played at the breakfast, and his deputy press secretary, Kimberly A. Haberlin, just sent me the following statement from the governor:

"As the President stated so eloquently during his address in Cairo earlier this month, the United States is entering a new era of partnership with our Muslim brothers and sisters, both abroad and here at home, and the Center will play a vital role in that partnership in Massachusetts. I congratulate the Islamic Cultural Center on their commitment to enriching our community life."

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is still planning to attend the ribbon-cutting, and I called him up this afternoon to ask why. Here's what he said:

"When you're mayor, you're mayor of all the people, not some of them, and the folks who are part of the mosque, and Muslims, are part of the city.''

I asked the mayor what he made of all the controversy that has surrounded the mosque. His reply:

"It has been controversial, and there is controversy when you have a religion from those countries. But we've got to start building those bridges. Yes, The David Project has been objecting, but I can't pick and choose. This is the religion they believe, the religion they practice. Are there some extremists in Islam? No question. But do I have some in my religion? Yes, there are. We have to get beyond that.''

We're publishing a story, video, and photo gallery about the mosque opening tomorrow morning in the paper and here on Boston.com, and I'll be liveblogging the inaugural events here as well.

(Top photo, by Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff, shows Gov. Deval Patrick at Thayer Public Library in Braintree on May 11, 2009. Bottom photo, by Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff, shows Mayor Thomas Menino at the Boston Harbor Hotel on June 9, 2009.)

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4 comments so far...

I think it would have been appropriate for the Governor to attend the Mosque opening, but i can also see his need to attend the funeral of the deceased soldier, which he has consistently done. Tough call, but that's why they get paid the big bucks.

Posted by gaudete June 25, 09 08:35 PM

The Governor can attend the mosque after the funeral. No? Or maybe during next Friday's prayer. The mosque will still be here after a week. But the soldiers funeral won't be. The Governor is making the right choice. At the same time the mayor attending the event sends a signal to bigots, islamophobes, and racists that Islam and Muslim are part of America already. They have been since the first Muslim slave set bloodied foot on American shores. Kudus to the major, governor, and the Muslims.

Posted by John June 26, 09 11:10 AM

It's not bigoted or Islamophobic to be concerned about the trustees of the Islamic Society of Boston, given their writings and various statements (i.e., "Jews are the scourge of the world" (Walid Fitaihi) , or that it's acceptable to beat your wife (lightly!)(Jamal Badawi).) Any Protestant leaders making such statements would be run out of Boston in two seconds flat. Yet we ignore it coming from Muslim "leaders." It's not racist or Islamophobic to be concerned that the Muslim American Society, daughter organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, is running the show there. There are quite a few Muslims from the Middle East who live in Boston that are dismayed that the MAS is in charge of the ISB and virtually all the college Muslim organizations, and that the MAS is taken as the face of Muslims to the local media and politicians.

Posted by Kelly June 26, 09 09:00 PM

Thanks Mayor Menino, Thanks Governor Patrick, Thanks interfaith leaders and elected officials who joined the moment of happiness and supported Muslims fulfilling their dream of having house of worship. Thank you for putting your hands together with Muslims� hands to build a better society free of hatred and animosity.

Posted by Samer June 27, 09 12:08 AM

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Michael Paulson covers religion for The Boston Globe. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, won the Mike Berger, Templeton and Supple awards in 2008, and is a four-time winner of the Wilbur Award.
E-mail mpaulson@globe.com.

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Harvey Cox, the Hollis professor of divinity at Harvard University, marks his retirement by asserting a little-used right of his professorship -- to graze a cow in Harvard Yard. Photo, by Barry Chin of the Globe staff, taken on Sept. 10, 2009 in Cambridge, Mass.