You know a local scandal has gotten big when the Associated Press is the first news outlet to report on a breaking development. This afternoon, the AP reported that the attorney for the town of Sidney has informed the embattled local Sufi center, Osmanlı Nakş-ı'bendi Hakkani Dergahı, that its graves won't be dug up or otherwise challenged anytime soon:
Tom Schimmerling, lawyer for the 30-member Sufi community 130 miles northwest of New York City, said he received a letter from Sidney town attorney Joseph Ermeti saying the town had decided not to take action.
In the letter, which Schimmerling showed to The Associated Press, Ermeti said he had researched state and local laws regarding the two burials on the Muslim community's 50-acre farm. "This letter is to inform you that no action will be taken by the Town of Sidney in this matter," Ermeti wrote.
Sidney's town supervisor, Bob McCarthy, has been at the center of a political firestorm for weeks since the town's decision to challenge the legality of the Muslim cemetery made national news last month. A protest was planned for the monthly town board meeting, which will take place tomorrow night. Whether the protest is off remains to be seen, although the Facebook group Impeach Bob McCarthy seems undeterred:
It is still very important that all people who planned on attending the peaceful demonstration still do so. Be sure to wear your raingear!
