Emotions were running high at the zoning board meetings in Voorhees. One resident after another stood up to denounce a mosque proposal. Some were stirred by anonymous fliers warning of "extremists" with possible "connections to terrorists."

But the soft-spoken Zia Rahman patiently answered their concerns more than six years ago and reached out like a diplomat to other faiths.

The successful effort by mosque trustee Rahman and fellow area Muslims against stiff opposition has become a national model, even as controversy rages over a proposed Islamic center near the 9/11 attack site in New York City.



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Disclosure: I had a more than small part in this project and am in the documentary.