Tenn. Judge Refuses To Block Mosque Construction

By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service

(RNS) A Tennessee judge on Wednesday (Nov. 17) declined to halt the construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro in a case that drew national attention after opponents sought to put Islam itself on trial.

Rutherford County Chancellor Robert Corlew said the mosque's opponents failed to prove that local government officials broke any laws when they approved the construction of a 52,000-square-foot Islamic center last May.

Local Muslims say the new center is needed to accommodate their burgeoning congregation. Opponents argued that Islam is a violent political ideology that does not deserve the constitutional protections afforded to religions.

Critics also said mosque leaders had ties to radical Muslim groups, including Hamas. Corlew said there was no evidence that the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro practiced a militant form of Islam or would try to impose Islamic law upon residents of Rutherford County, according to
The Tennessean.

In his closing arguments, Joe Brandon Jr., a lawyer for the mosque opponents, suggested that he would appeal the ruling.

"I'm not gonna submit, I'm not going to convert, and I'm not going to back down," Brandon said, according to The Tennessean.

Comments

[raker]

07:12 PM on 11/28/2010

Of course they should be free to build the mosque. But it makes me laugh that sometimes it's an "Islamic center"—more health club than religious building—and other times it's a mosque. I suspect it's simply a mosque, and Islamic center is a euphemism they used to confuse the yahoos.

[WarriorLemming]

04:18 PM on 11/28/2010

QUOTE:
""I'm not gonna submit, I'm not going to convert, and I'm not going to back down," Brandon said, according to The Tennessean."

These words from the lawyer that represents this anti-Mosque group--proves the "fish rots from the head". We have to clean up our own country from these extremest types before we can point the finger at others.....

[truthupontruth]

04:57 PM on 11/27/2010

Pastor Steve Stone of the Cordova Christian congregation made the news in September for putting out a welcome sign for a mosque that was going up in their neighborhood and went a step further by inviting the Muslims to use the church space for prayer. This happened because they simply asked, what would Jesus do for a neighbor? And there you have it - Muslims, Christians, the Constitution, all in harmony.
If only stories like this were on the news, night after night, instead of hate crimes, bigots and Americans who are not familiar with their own constitution.

[WarriorLemming]

04:19 PM on 11/28/2010

Co-signed! f&f ;)

[Linda Williams]

12:14 PM on 11/27/2010

Judge has good sense to do the American thing.

[WarriorLemming]

04:20 PM on 11/28/2010

Absolutely! f&f Linda ;)

[crydespite]

08:23 AM on 11/27/2010

Not too close, then... Kudos to a judge with some backbone. Not that I'm a fan of either side but discrimination is discrimination.

[Somali]

07:19 PM on 11/26/2010

Eat your hearts out, Islamaphobes. We are here to stay..........for good.

[Asmodean1]

09:55 PM on 11/25/2010

This country... our country... was founded on religious freedom first and fore most above all else.

[MsMcgee]

01:29 PM on 11/26/2010

But there are some that believe that religious freedom ONLY applies to Christians.

[Gregor53]

10:17 AM on 11/28/2010

??

[WarriorLemming]

04:22 PM on 11/28/2010

Agreed, MsMcgee. f&f ;)

[Doug Sandlin]

11:12 PM on 11/24/2010

PS - Yes, he (the guy in the video{s} below) is, indeed a Sufi Muslim.

Peace to all.

[Doug Sandlin]

11:06 PM on 11/24/2010

A higher res version of the video I just posted below - much better video/audio quality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN_Q-S6RMNQ&feature=fvst

Peace to all.

[Doug Sandlin]

10:35 PM on 11/24/2010

One of Islam's most influential voices, globally ... inspiring a rather rapt audience concerning the glory of Allah.

Maybe they need to see this in middle Tennessee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeKEAvhgpg8

Peace to all.

[Doug Sandlin]

07:28 PM on 11/24/2010

FYI to all, here's a video of a discussion panel, featuring moderate Muslims in high-level positions of government or religion, speaking out against terrorism -- from Afghanistan (a cabinet minister), Saudi Arabia (a member of the Royal Family), Pakistan, the U.K. and the United States (Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf), at the Davos Economic Forum, from 2006 (everything they're saying ... I'm watching/listening now ... seems fully pertinent to what we're discussing in 2010).

http://www.clicker.com/web/world-economic-forum/Davos-Annual-Meeting-2006-Islam-s-Challenge-to-Eradicate-Extremism-308529/

Peace to all.

[Reyeshawk13]

07:07 PM on 11/24/2010

Thank you, Chancellor Corlew, for injecting some sanity into this situation.

[tnflyboy]

05:16 PM on 11/24/2010

I was taking photos at the original protest in July, and first off let me comment on the intelligence of having a protest march in the middle of July where the protesters, among which are many, many elderly, march for about a mile in 95° heat... Brilliant... Probably my favorite part of the protest though, was when someone from the courthouse steps said something to the effect of "you young people don't know anything, just wait until you get some years." To which a guy in the crowd replied "I'm 56, when is that going to happen?"

I'm VERY glad that this decision came out the way it did. There is no reason that the community center and mosque should not be built.

And just as an aside to the many HP posters out there hating on middle TN, just as not all muslims are terrorists, not all middle TN'ers are hicks that don't understand that the Constitution protects the rights of everyone. Some of us like tolerance and equality! :)

[Reyeshawk13]

07:08 PM on 11/24/2010

I feel your pain. Try being a Kansan forced to live in Texas. I get it for both states.

[WarriorLemming]

04:26 PM on 11/28/2010

lol, I lived in Wisconsin for awhile which isn't near as bad (quite liberal compared to those two, in fact).

[truthupontruth]

04:59 PM on 11/27/2010

There was a wonderful story about good neighbors that came out of Memphis in Sept. Pastor Steve Stone and the Cordova Christians welcomed the Muslims to the area.

[sunmocker1970]

05:47 PM on 11/23/2010

Good on him!
At least someone in Tenn has read the Constitution...

[Eric Penner]

03:53 PM on 11/23/2010

Freedom of religion, but only when questions are being asked of Christianity. Is that what I'm gathering, people of Rutherford County, Tennessee?

[Reyeshawk13]

07:09 PM on 11/24/2010

Not all of them, just enough to get the law suit going. There were always counter protesters whenever the people trying to stop the mosque got together.

[WarriorLemming]

04:29 PM on 11/28/2010

It's happening in Oshkosh, Wisconsin according to a friend there -- maybe not the lawsuit but the anti-Mosque fraction making rumblings.