From NY Daily News
BY JAN RANSOM / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, 9:00 AM
A Harlem Imam and his 1,500-member congregation were evicted from their longtime house of worship — and so far finding a new home in one of Manhattan’s most quickly evolving neighborhoods has proven quite a challenge .
The man of Allah says he’s been shunned by Harlem landlords, who would rather develop luxury apartments.
“It’s very difficult to get a place in Harlem now,” said Imam Souleimane Konate, of Masjid Aqsa Mosque, which operated on Frederick Douglass Blvd. near W. 116th St. for about 15 years. “Not only is the rent high, but it is difficult for people to accept the mosque.”
Konate says he has identified viable locations nearby, but so far their owners have declined to tender him a lease.
The saga began two weeks ago, when city marshals evicted Konate after an ongoing rent dispute with the building owner, Joseph Rabizadeh. The enterprising owner would not comment on the dispute, but told the Daily News he plans to begin construction on a residential complex at the former site of the mosque and a row of five shuttered businesses.
