ISA Expansion Hearing Strategy

Monday, 27 July 2009 15:05
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT!!

HELP DEFEAT THE PROPOSED EXPANSION
OF THE
ISLAMIC SAUDI ACADEMY IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA

By Kelly Cook, National Field Director and
Lisa Piraneo, Director of Government Relations

 

On August 3rd, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a request by the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), a school owned, funded and controlled by the government of Saudi Arabia, for a special-exception permit in order to expand their Popes Head Road campus in Fairfax County, Virginia.

We continue to be tremendously concerned about many issues concerning the ISA — including their Islamic Studies curriculum, patterns of anti-American, anti-Semitic, and anti-Christian activity, and the numerous terrorism-related activities, including arrests and convictions, of former ISA students. We will continue to be vigilant with our pursuits regarding these matters at local, state, and federal levels.

During our contact with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, we have been repeatedly informed that their decision on this particular permit request must legally be based solely on land use matters.

While we contend that the questionable curriculum on the ISA’s “land” should be considered a “land-use” matter, there are a multitude of other land-use concerns which should make defeat of the ISA expansion request extremely easy for the Board of Supervisors. Further, Supervisors have responded more favorably to our Director of Government Relations and others when facts are used to argue our case — and there many relevant facts to choose from…


THE FOLLOWING ACTION IS NEEDED FROM YOU,
OUR ACT! FOR AMERICA GRASSROOTS ADVOCATE!

Please take a moment to call the members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors listed at the end of this Alert as often as you can this week and on Monday, August 3rd (the anticipated date of the final vote) and let them know that you are opposed to the Islamic Saudi Academy’s request to expand their Popes Head Road campus.

Let the Supervisors know that, first and foremost:

You will not tolerate the expansion of a school that refuses to share with members of their own community and others, information about their textbooks and their curriculum. This is ESPECIALLY disturbing regarding their Islamic Studies classes, even after there have been multiple incidents of former students who have tried to carry-out terrorist-related activities.

Let them know that, in addition to this serious matter, there have been more than enough land-use concerns vocalized by neighboring homeowners to result in the defeat of the requested expansion.
Land use concerns including critical issues such as:

    • Expansion of the campus will place too much of a demand on the already fragile Potomac Watershed surrounding the school. The storm water runoff that would result from the expansion, and increase in waste from the septic operation will cause an unacceptable burden on an area already encumbered with increasing flooding and stream pollution.

    • The winding, rural, two-lane Popes Head Road cannot accommodate the immense increase of traffic that will result from the school’s expansion. There will be many more buses and cars going in and out of the facility — using the small, relatively rural Popes Head Road. This will not only cause a traffic nightmare, but will make an already dangerous road (on which there have been many fatal accidents) even more hazardous.
Finally, please mark your calendars for Monday, August 3rd, the day the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the ISA expansion request. No oral statements will be allowed at hearing (written statements, submitted for the record are allowed), but your presence will be an even better way to clearly “voice” your views. A strong attendance by those opposed to the ISA expansion is critical to this fight!


REMEMBER, YOUR VOICE COUNTS!
IF EACH OF US DOES JUST A LITTLE, TOGETHER WE CAN
ACCOMPLISH A LOT!

FAIRFAX COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Supervisor John Cook (Braddock District)

 703-425-9300
Supervisor John W. Foust (Dranesville District)

 703-356-0551
Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (Hunter Mill District)

 703-478-0283
Supervisor Jeff McKay (Lee District)

 703-971-6262
Supervisor Penelope A. Gross (Mason District)

 703-256-7717
Supervisor Gerry Hyland (Mount Vernon District)

 703-780-7518
Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (Providence District)

 703-560-6946
Supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield District)

 703-451-8873
Supervisor Michael R. Frey (Sully District)

 703-814-7100
County Chairwoman Sharon Bulova 703-324-2321



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