A certain degree of opposition to any change is natural. When new buildings or structures are being planned, no matter their location, it is expected that there will be those who oppose them, and for a wide variety of personal reasons. That can be documented historically whether the structure in question is the Golden Gate Bridge, the Vietnam Memorial, a Frank Lloyd Wright house in small-town America, or a neighborhood place of worship. History also shows us that once completed, in nearly every case these new structures become universally loved and viewed with pride by their communities as representing what is most beautiful and unique about the area in which they were built.
From the very beginning of our sanctuary project we were aware that there would be some opposition. We also understood that it was important to reach out to our neighbors with as much information and personal contact as we could to allow them to express their concerns and, in turn, allow us to understand and incorporate where possible changes that might address those concerns. A number of design and landscaping changes to the new sanctuary have resulted from this helpful collaboration.
Still, there are now, and will likely remain, a small core group of individuals who oppose our new sanctuary project. We are committed to continuing to work with neighbors in partnership, providing as much accurate information about the project and Sufism Reoriented as we can, in as many ways as we can. But we do not expect that everyone will welcome our new sanctuary at its proposed site.
What we do hope is that regardless of their views, we can continue to work together in friendship and with respect, sharing our lives harmoniously in service to this special neighborhood we all love.