The Muslim American Society (MAS) will have to look elsewhere on Staten Island for a site to build a mosque.

Members of the board of trustees of St. Margaret Mary Roman Catholic Church in Midland Beach voted on July 22 not to sell a vacant convent to MAS, which hoped to build a mosque at the site.

MAS's plans were fiercely opposed by some Midland Beach residents and outsiders, many of whom said they feared the mosque would be a haven of terrorism.

The church's parish priest, the Rev. Keith Fenessy, withdrew his support for the sale in mid-June.

Announcing the board's vote, the Archdiocese of New York said: "The Archdiocese of New York has enjoyed a good relationship with the Islamic community in the past, and looks forward to continued dialogue, friendship, and understanding in the future. It is also our prayer that unity will now return to the parish and to the Nidland Beach community."

MAS leaders issued a statement saying they were disappointed with the board's decision:

"This denial reinforced an unfortunate notion that the pressures of bigotry and Islamophobia triumphed over a good, long-standing relationship between the Archdiocese and the Muslim community. It is indeed a setback."

Pamela Geller, who runs the blog "Stop the Islamization of America," called the decision a "victory" and a "textbook case on how to fight Islamic extremists."

Geller opposed the mosque in person at a Midland Beach Civic Association meeting on June 9, 2010. She is a leading figure in the ongoing campaign against the proposed Islamic community center in Downtown Manhattan.

But many Staten Island residents and outsiders are unhappy with the vote.

More than 3,000 people have joined a Facebook group in support of the mosque, while Staten Islanders are planning to hold a supportive rally.

The rally's organizers, Devra Morice and Elaine Brower, explained: "As concerned residents of this borough, we are sickened by the actions of a vocal minority who'd have the public and media paint every Staten Islander with the same anti-Islamic brush. And we are troubled by the Church's decision to cave in to bigots."