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<DIV><FONT size=2>Don't you just love the arrogance exhibited and the
ignorance of both religion and constitutional law in:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>"They [Islam] are not a religion. They are a
political, militaristic group," said Bob Shelton, a 76-year-old retiree who
lives in the area. Shelton was among several hundred demonstrators
recently who wore "Vote for Jesus" T-shirts..."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Back to the inquisition!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>W.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=v2020@ssl.fastmail.fm href="mailto:v2020@ssl.fastmail.fm">Saundra
Lund</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">'Vision 2020'</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, August 08, 2010 3:45
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Far from ground
zero, opponents fight new mosques</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Given the absolutely shameful fear- and hate-mongering
surrounding the<BR>Islamic Community Center in NY, I suppose we can't be
surprised that the<BR>nonsense has spread :-( I suppose we can't
be surprised, but I'm<BR>heart-broken nonetheless.<BR><BR>Perhaps one of the
greatest modern American tragedies is those so-called<BR>Americans who lack an
understanding of the pivotal role the freedom of and<BR>from religion played
in the founding of this great nation and our<BR>Constitution. When the shoe
has been on the other foot, those same so-called<BR>Americans have shrilly
demanded that people who disagree with them should<BR>leave the country. Would
that they would follow that instruction themselves<BR>and choose one of the
countries without religious freedom where they'd fit<BR>right in. I can think
of a few places . . .<BR><BR>Saundra Lund<BR>Moscow, ID<BR><BR>Compassion is
the basis of all morality.<BR>~ Arthur Schopenhuaer<BR><BR><BR><A
href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38615800/">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38615800/</A><BR><BR>Far
from ground zero, opponents fight new mosques<BR>By TRAVIS LOLLER
<BR>AP<BR>updated 2 hours 18 minutes ago<BR><BR>MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Muslims
trying to build houses of worship in the<BR>nation's heartland, far from the
heated fight in New York over plans for a<BR>mosque near ground zero, are
running into opponents even more hostile and<BR>aggressive. <BR><BR>Foes of
proposed mosques have deployed dogs to intimidate Muslims holding<BR>prayer
services and spray painted "Not Welcome" on a construction sign, then<BR>later
ripped it apart.<BR><BR>The 13-story, $100 million Islamic center that could
soon rise two blocks<BR>from the site of the Sept. 11 attacks would dwarf the
proposals elsewhere,<BR>yet the smaller projects in local communities are
stoking a sharper kind of<BR>fear and anger than has showed up in New
York.<BR><BR>In the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro, opponents of a new
Islamic center<BR>say they believe the mosque will be more than a place of
prayer. They are<BR>afraid the 15-acre site that was once farmland will be
turned into a<BR>terrorist training ground for Muslim militants bent on
overthrowing the U.S.<BR>government.<BR><BR>"They are not a religion. They are
a political, militaristic group," said<BR>Bob Shelton, a 76-year-old retiree
who lives in the area.<BR><BR>Shelton was among several hundred demonstrators
recently who wore "Vote for<BR>Jesus" T-shirts and carried signs that said:
"No Sharia law for USA!,"<BR>referring to the Islamic code of law. Others took
their opposition further,<BR>spray painting the sign announcing the "Future
site of the Islamic Center of<BR>Murfreesboro" and tearing it up.<BR><BR>In
Temecula, Calif., opponents brought dogs to protest a
proposed<BR>25,000-square-foot mosque that would sit on four acres next to a
Baptist<BR>church. Opponents worry it will turn the town into haven for
Islamic<BR>extremists, but mosque leaders say they are peaceful and just need
more room<BR>to serve members.<BR><BR>Islam is a growing faith in the U.S.,
though Muslims represent less than 1<BR>percent of the country's population.
Ten years ago, there were about 1,200<BR>mosques nationwide. Now there are
roughly 1,900, according to Ihsan Bagby,<BR>professor of Islamic Studies at
the University of Kentucky and a researcher<BR>on surveys of American
mosques.<BR><BR>The growth involves Islamic centers expanding to accommodate
more Muslims -<BR>as is the case in New York, California and Tennessee - as
well as mosques<BR>cropping up in smaller, more isolated communities, Bagby
said.<BR><BR>A 2007 survey of Muslim Americans by the Pew Research Center
found that 39<BR>percent of adult Muslims living in the United States were
immigrants that<BR>had come here since 1990.<BR><BR>"In every religious
community, one of the things that has happened over the<BR>course of
immigration is that people get settled and eventually build<BR>something that
says, 'We're here! We're not just camping,'" said Diana Eck,<BR>a professor of
Comparative Religion at the Harvard University. "In part,<BR>that's because
those communities have put down roots in America and made<BR>this their
home."<BR><BR>Before the demonstration in Murfreesboro, a fundraiser was held
for the new<BR>community center. Children behind a folding table sold homemade
wooden<BR>plaques, door hangers and small serving trays decorated with glitter
and<BR>messages like, "Peace," "I love being a Muslim" and "Freedom of
Religion."<BR><BR>Mosque leader Essam Fathy, who helped plan the new building
in Murfreesboro,<BR>has lived there for 30 years.<BR><BR>"I didn't think
people would try that hard to oppose something that's in the<BR>Constitution,"
he said. "The Islamic center has been here since the early<BR>'80s, 12 years
in this location. There's nothing different now except it's<BR>going to be a
little bigger."<BR><BR>Bagby said that hasn't stopped foes from becoming more
virulent.<BR><BR>"It was there before, but it didn't have as much traction.
The larger public<BR>never embraced it," he said. "The level of anger, the
level of hostility is<BR>much higher in the last few years."<BR><BR>The
Murfreesboro mosque is one of three planned in the Nashville area that<BR>have
drawn recent scrutiny.<BR><BR>Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic
Forum for Democracy, a<BR>nonprofit that advocates for reform and
modernization of Islam, said<BR>opposing mosques is no way to prevent
terrorism.<BR><BR>Neighbors didn't want his family to build a mosque in 1979
in Neenah, Wis.,<BR>because they didn't understand who Muslims
were.<BR><BR>=======================================================<BR> List
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