Despite Protests and Attacks, Mosque Opens in Tennessee – Conservatives Defending Freedom of Religion Nowhere to be Found

Islam is Apparently Not the ‘Right’ Religion

Earlier this year Americans were treated to demagoguery on religious freedom by Conservatives who were outraged, outraged, that various religious organizations and individuals would not be allowed to impose their religion on others.  In arguing against requirements to provide women with access to family planning services the Conservatives said this somehow denied freedom of religion to those who themselves did not want to engage in family planning and for some reason thought they had the right to deny access to others. 

In Tennessee Muslims thought that what America said about freedom of religion was true, and not just an electioneering slogan.  So they decided to build a Mosque in Murfreesboro, in order to, you know, exercise their right to practice their religion in the manner they saw fit.  Some people didn’t like that .

The State Fire Marshal’s Office said it had issued a temporary certificate of occupancy for 30 days to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. For two years, the center’s expansion has faced legal challenges and threats of violence. Vandals painted “not welcome” on construction signs at the mosque and set fire to construction equipment. A Texas man was indicted in June on charges that he left messages threatening to detonate a bomb at the center on Sept. 11. In May, a county judge ruled that the construction plans had not received sufficient comment from the public and that an occupancy permit could not be granted. Federal prosecutors filed a discrimination lawsuit, and a federal judge ruled in the mosque’s favor last month.

And it took a Federal Judge to get the Mosque the right to open.

Strangely silent in all of this were the same Conservatives who had vigorously and vocally expressed outrage at anyone who would interfere with freedom of religion.  One can only conclude that they were not referring to all religions, only those that they approved of.  And as we all know Conservatives do not approve of the religion of Islam, or any other religion except their own.