OAKLEY – The Muslim community in Oakley, San Francisco, is reaching out to their neighbors to allay their fears over the newly proposed mosque, amid hopes of starting new interfaith relations.

“We’re here to co-exist and not take over or change anybody’s mind,” Abdul Maiwand with the Ibn Sina Community Center told KPIX on Saturday.

The Muslims’ proposal to build a community center on a 14-acre site north Oakley has been facing huge opposition.

The proposed Ibn Sina Community Center will boast a mosque as its centerpiece, a K-through-12 Islamic private school, and 200 units of senior housing.

The Oakley Planning Department has received many complaints and issued a notice this week reminding people that they can’t turn down a project based on religion.

Maiwand is aware of the strong opposition from neighbors.

“It is hurtful,” he said. “I don’t want to say ignorance, it’s lack of knowledge, lack of understanding.”

Though many Oakley residents said they opposed the plan because of traffic congestion, a lot of readers commented on the East County Today newspaper website, comparing Muslims to terrorists.

One person wrote, “If this is approved, I will be moving. The whole thing is so frightening and unimaginable.”

Another person wrote, “Oh my God, no.”

And someone else said, “This will fundamentally change Oakley’s future and population.”

Maiwand plans to do more studies, including a traffic report, before resubmitting the application to the planning department.

If approved, the center will be done in 5 to 7 years.

“We’ve been here for many, many decades,” Maiwand said.

“It’s not like we’re looking to take over anything or coming in. We are part of this neighborhood. We are part of this community.”