Virginia Beach, Va. - Roger Dadiomoff was cheered Tuesday when he spoke out against a proposed mosque at the Virginia Beach city council meeting.
"We can stand here and talk about road usage, and not talk about the fundamental issue. We do not want mosques in Virginia Beach. Personally, I don't want them anywhere," Dadiomoff said during Tuesday's meeting.
"I really wasn't listening for the crowd, but I wasn't looking for vindication," Dadiomoff said Wednesday.
Dadiomoff is a half Egyptian, half Ukrainian-American and the 20-year Navy vet is living the American dream.
He says he isn't a bigot, but a man who sees Islam not as a religion, but as something more.
"I just thought that I didn't want that structure being formed where we have a government office for Islam which is what I see the mosque as," Dadiomoff said.
Dr. Ahmed Noor, a trustee with the Mosque and Islamic Center of Hampton Roads says that's just not the case.
"It's a religious obligation on every Muslim to have a positive impact on the area you live in," Noor said.
No matter what the mosque leader could tell Dadiomoff, he'll have a hard time believing it.
"It goes nowhere if one person is not honest, and I'm not so sure I'd get that honesty from them," Dadiomoff said.
Despite his passionate speech and the uproar from the crowd, city council approved the mosque 9-1. Councilman Bill DeSteph was the only one who voted against it.
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