Planned Local Mosque Draws Fierce Opposition

Los Angeles Times:

Muslims throughout Temecula and Murrieta have saved up for years to build a mosque to replace the plain white industrial building, tucked between a pipeline company and packaging warehouse, where they now gather to pray.

But as the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley moves ahead with plans to build on a four-acre plot of vacant land near Temecula's gentle hills and invading housing developments, plans for the new mosque have stirred hostility in this mostly conservative community in southwest Riverside County.

Read the whole story: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Shellie Milne]

10:17 PM on 07/27/2010

The organizers of the Menifee, Hemet, and Murrieta Tea Parties wish to
emphatically state that not only are they not involved in organizing any
planned Mosque protest, but that we would strongly condemn the use of dogs to harass anybody , anywhere
Local Tea Party groups have not deviated from
our core principles of fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free
enterprise. There are rogue and fringe groups in any movement that do not represent the movement as a whole.
We note with interest that on July 15 CAIR backed the NAACP
Resolution on Tea Party Racism, falsely giving the impression that the Tea
Party movement is rife with racism. The vast majority of Tea Party people
are honest, decent, patriotic Americans who love their country and believe
in the values that made America great. We are neither racists or
"Islamophobes". It is an insult for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations to suggest we are, and we call on them to apologize. We are
tired of the false accusations that we are racists.
Also we call on CAIR to denounce radical Islam and specifically Hamas and
Hezbollah. We also would like to point out that in Saudi Arabia a
Christian Church would not be allowed and that people have been kicked out
of the country by the Saudi's for holding religious meetings or just have
possession of a bible. We also call on CAIR to condemn the lack of
religious freedom in Saudi Arabia

[Lena Rose]

01:44 PM on 07/29/2010

What on earth are you talking about? What does Saudi Arabia have to do with Americans' right to freely worship in America? Last time I read the Constitution, it does not grant or deny equal rights to certain groups of Americans based on what other countries do.

[RDiserio]

03:13 PM on 07/31/2010

What she means, ma'am, is that CAIR who calls certain groups, certain people "Islamaphobes", (and maybe some of them are, her first point is that these tea parties officially denounce these actions, hence, they are denouncing racism....) Then asks CAIR in kind to denounce the crazy radicals who call themselves "Muslims", in particular, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the fact that in the Muslim country of Saudi Arabia a Christian Church would not be allowed, she asks CAIR, who says they are not of that mindset or ilk, to in kind to denounce, as she has the crazy fringe who call themselves "tea party", but on further investigation, the fact is they are not mainstream TP, and have just used the name....AS easily as we Americans can denounce any other Americans who are radicals, racists, who say they are "Americans", I believe, you and I would say "NO" they may be an American, but that is not "American" thought....SO far, CAIR will not, or has not, denounced Hezbollah, or Hamas, or how Christians are treated in Saudi Arabia. Hopefully they will do that soon, and put this all to rest. I hope that helps.

[jungefrau]

02:28 PM on 07/27/2010

You don't have to be a fundy xian to not want a mosque in your neighborhood. I am completely god-free and live within walking distance of the proposed mosque site. Do I care if a group of people meet every Friday afternoon to bow to their Invisible Friend? No. But if there is a daily call to prayer at 5 a.m., then yes, I mind.

Temecula is as conservative as people say it is -- we have a lot of Mormons, Baptists, Calvary Chapel Bible School, assorted thumpers -- we even have our own crazy Jeezus Man who plays guitar and sings Jeezus songs at the corner of Margarita and Winchester. So, yeah, there are a lot of xians here, and yeah, it is pretty awful if you are gay or atheist or just liberal. Adding Islam to the pot doesn't make it better. They tend to hate gays, atheists, and liberals too. It's fundy with an exotic twist if you ask me. How comes it's okay to call out xianity but not Islam in its oppression and bullcrap?

[Raigerzero]

11:05 AM on 07/21/2010

"Muslim" is a more accurate word than "Moslem". Pronounce "Muslim" with an "S" instead of a "Z" and you get the closest possible English pronounciation of the arabic word for "Muslim".

I say this because I am surprised by the number of people using the older spelling.

[Fung Phak]

03:51 PM on 07/21/2010

Then tell me why The American Moslem Foundation still using "moslem" ?

[zorro869]

01:59 PM on 07/20/2010

Let me get this straight- This is a Baptist Priest going totally against everything in his bible that talks about tolerance? Pathetic. Religions of all type you are dead to me. When you start following your own rules I will consider you a religion again.

Yeah right Mr. Preacher- He says that there isnt enough Muslim influience to warrant this, except there are enough to go out and buy a 4 acre plot in Temecula which isnt cheap.

I live near Temecula. It's a town full of white, over-privileged racists. They better wake up to the Muslim love. Those people are having kids and increasing the overall muslim population. Those Dink's in Temecula are dying fast. Allah Akbar guys. Kiss your Starbuck's world goodbye, and you deserved it for being pretentious, close minded, xenophobes.

[HippieDippieWeatherman]

02:12 PM on 07/20/2010

Your rant was mostly correct, but I need to point out one thing: Baptists have ministers, not priests, which means they will diddle the church secretary or the music minister instead of an altar boy.

Oh, and the Bible they all love to quote, what does IT say about neighbors, strangers, and "aliens"? Oh, that's right:

"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." Exodus 20:21-22

"When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:33-34

"The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you." Numbers 15:15-16

[IwantPEACE4All]

01:14 PM on 07/20/2010

I think it's great that there would be ANY new construction in that part of the state. It stimulates the local economy. The problem is when the preacher dude yells at the top of his lungs at 4am for prayer. That, isn't cool.

[peegan]

12:12 PM on 07/20/2010

Never thought I'd see the day that Ga. was more tolerant than California. This is just plain ridiculous. I mean, it's not like their Mormons or anything. :-)

[janejoad]

02:12 PM on 07/21/2010

Wait until it comes to EVERY TOWN near you. You'll change your tune. I'm all for LIVE and LET LIVE, but I ain't no dummy. I don't believe that there is "PURITY" at the heart of religion, maybe one guy, and he was a DISSIDENT who despised the hypocrites of the religion he was INDOCTRINATED into. He sure made a statement. SO, keep those BLINDERS ON, by all means.
BTW, Mormons slaughtered a whole bunch of Native Americans in the name of their RELIGION> Why should I believe they are such good people? In fact, look at their isolation. They have their own state for GODS' sake.

[Anniebet]

09:30 AM on 07/20/2010

Unfortunately, this resistance to the building of a Moslem place of worship is typical of the
kind of ignorance and intolerance that abounds in this very conservative part of Riverside
County. The Temecula/Murrieta Muslim group has made a commendable effort to strengthen ties with the wider religious community here, participating in interfaith activities and welcoming the scrutiny of those who doubt their motives and intentions. Somehow the rights that we hold so dearly are under attack by those who are unable to look beyond their own narrow viewpoints.

[Raigerzero]

12:12 PM on 07/21/2010

#1 Fan!!!

[Democrattothecore]

04:48 AM on 07/20/2010

built a minaret that huge. Check out Loonwatch.com where they expose right wing organizations that make it their responsibility to stop the building of mosques and "Islamization" of America. Truly laughable.

[Dimme]

07:18 AM on 07/20/2010

Fundamental Christians terrified of fundamental Islam. Talk about meeting yourself in the door. Too funny.

[lachihuahua]

08:55 AM on 07/20/2010

The irony is seriously hilarious isn't it! (nn)

[Occam123]

01:47 PM on 07/20/2010

BOTH should be opposed and marginalized.

[Democrattothecore]

04:46 AM on 07/20/2010

Whenever I go in the freeway to a friends house, there's this church with three HUUUUUUGE crosses towering over the drivers. It makes me laugh everytime I see it because the right (wrong in reality) wing psychos would go ballistic if a mosque built a minaret that h

[RobinSeattle]

05:16 AM on 07/20/2010

Hey, if you want to see gross, take a gander at the facilities and studio sets for the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Vulgar doesn't even begin to approach the level of sheer bad taste.

[m66]

03:28 AM on 07/20/2010

I lived across the street from the mosque in Riverside. Anybody who is concerned, or even just curious, should stop by for a visit and meet their neighbors. You'd be welcomed warmly.

[Dimme]

05:00 PM on 07/20/2010

Unless you are gay like me.

[ROBINB72]

02:42 AM on 07/20/2010

can't wait for December 2011 and the coming of the Great Quetzalcoatl so everybody learns in this land who is God...
Muslims...

[Raigerzero]

11:21 AM on 07/21/2010

Wow.

[zombywulf]

02:18 AM on 07/20/2010

Let them build it in a hispanic neighbor hood, we'll see how tolerant our squatters are.

[TaurusRose]

04:18 AM on 07/20/2010

jjeez

[TaurusRose]

04:20 AM on 07/20/2010

HuffFaux pend your approval of zombywuld, not me

[PresidentRobertBooth]

01:00 AM on 07/20/2010

I hope they build it.

[Occam123]

12:26 AM on 07/20/2010

I checked and sure enough-- it's one of those gigantic centers completely out of proportion with the size of the the community served cahnce this is built with local money is practically nil.

Fact: There are about 150 Muslims families who live in the area.
Fact:The size of the proposed Islamic Center -- TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SQUARE FEET!

[samoisdead]

02:20 AM on 07/20/2010

Islamophobe.

[KIVPossum]

05:17 AM on 07/20/2010

150 families, so figure maybe 600 people, and you get 40 sq ft a person. Not at all large compared to many Christian churches.

[Michael Valentine]

12:24 AM on 07/20/2010

Jesus said we should love our neighbors. He also said we should love our enemies if your that upset.

If you were Christian you would know that.