Muslims unwelcome, Dead or Alive. The effort to stop the Murfreesboro Mosque cemetary.

In case you missed it, the war against freedom of religion led my Lou Ann Zelenik in Murfreesboro continues.  Opponents of the Murfreesboro super Mosque don't want Murfressboro to be home to Muslims, dead or alive. This is an interesting report revealing the tensions in the hallway where there was a hearing where Mosque opponents were seeking an injunction to stop the cemetery at the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro from moving forward. In January the Board of Zoning appeal had been approved the cemetery. Unfortunately, you must watch a few seconds of commercial before the news story, but this is interesting.WSMV Channel 4
For more post on the topic of the Murfressboro Mosque follow this link. 

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Appeals Court overturns mosque ruling

Appeals Court overturns mosque ruling

The Murfressboro Post, Thursday, May 30, 2013 - A Tennessee Court of Appeals panel ruled Wednesday that the Rutherford County Planning Commission did provide adequate public notice prior to approving construction of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.

“We have concluded that the (Rutherford County Chancery) Court erred in finding the notice provided to be inadequate .....(link)

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More, Barfield Elementary Muslim Student/Toy Guns gifts-incident

Some of the citizens of Murfressboro who opposed the right of Muslims to build a Mosque are outraged that a Muslim fourth grader brought toy guns to schools to give to his class mates as gifts. They do not want to let this incident just fade away.

I hate to sound like an old man remembering my youth, but I do remember a time when bringing a toy gun to school would have not been a big deal. Also, almost every young boy carried a pocket knife. Oh well, times change. With zero tolerance and political correctness you cannot bring toy guns to school. And, in light of school shootings, maybe you shouldn't be allowed to do so.

This incident is being made into a big deal on the "Stand Up for The Rutherford Reader" list serve and among others in Rutherford County residents. Read about this incident here and here. If the kid had not been a Muslim, I can't help but think that it would now be forgotten. Give it a rest.

Not only are some parents upset that boys got guns, but that girls got dolls.  That sounds about right to me. Santa always brought guns for the boys and dolls for the girls at our house. 

The lesson from all of this is, do not try to be nice and give your classmates gifts.

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Andy Miller funds anti-Muslim activist Zelenik's campaign

Sharia law, super PACs roil GOP primaryPolitico
In 2010, Zelenik accused Black of not being more outspoken against the Murfreesboro mosque. During that same race, Zelenik, a former Rutherford County, Tenn., Republican Party chairwoman, ran an online fundraising appeal asking supporters to “stand ...

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Update: Arrest near in Murfeesboro Mosque arson case?

 Update

 Federal authorities have charged a Texas man with threatening to bomb the Murfressboro Mosque on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Two indictments were filed Thursday in Nashville against 24-year-old Javier Alan Correa of Corpus Christi. Authorities said he is accused of calling the mosque in Murfreesboro last September and leaving an expletive-riddled message that said there would be a bomb in the building on 9/11. Authorities have not made an arrest in the arson at the Mosque that occurred last year when construction equipment was set afire.

original post
The Associated Press reports today that the FBI, the US Attorney and representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are scheduled to make an announcement at a news conference today at 1pm at the new Islamic Center under construction in Murfreesboro. Does this mean an arrest is near in last year's arson at the Mosque?

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Hold Rutherford mosque hearing. Shut up haters. Move on.

by Gail Kerr, The Tennessean, Jun 10, 2012

The haters are on the move again in Rutherford County.

Chancellor Robert Corlew III’s ruling that the county did not provide adequate notice of a planning commission meeting during which it approved a new mosque has set off comments like those made by Lou Ann Zelenik, who is running for Congress. She said the ruling shows the Muslims building the mosque have been guilty of “Islamic lying.”

Good grief. Please, please, Rutherford Countians, do not elect someone who would spew such ignorance.

And for Pete’s sake, county officials. Put this thing to bed once and for all. You’ve let the haters run their mouths for two years. Follow the judge’s orders. Advertise a new meeting. Hold it. Vote for the thing. And let’s move on. (read more)

I essentially agree. I would not myself classify all of the opponents of the Mosque as "haters" however, but the label may fit for some. I would say most are "people who do not understand or appreciate the constitution," or they are "misguided" or they are "people who have abandoned their values out of fear" or something else. 

Some politician however are pandering to the worst in people. I don't know if Lou Ann Zelenik is pandering or if she is so fearful of Islam that she is willing to abandon the Constitution.  Anyone who can take the position that Muslim do not have the right to build a Mosque and defend that view by  rationalizing that Islam, which is the world's second largest religion, is not really a religion could clearly rationalize their way into any position. I fear people who think like Lou Ann Zelenik more than I fear the Muslims of Murfressboro.

In world war II when FDR imprisoned 110,000 Japanese-Americans, that was a popular decision. Were all who supported that decision "haters?" They were people who were fearful that a minority among them may have loyalties to a foreign power or ideology and were not good Americans and that the country was in peril and so they were willing to abandon their principles, rationalize away constitutional protections, and abandon their values our of fear. I think that is what we are seeing today.

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Lou Ann Zelenik still opposes the First Admendment and Freedom of Religion

Mt. Juliet, TN—-Sixth District Congressional Candidate Lou Ann Zelenik praised the court ruling today that denied the approval of  “Islamic Center of Murfreesboro”, stating that adequate notice was not given to the public by the Planning Commission of the intentions of the  Islamic group.

“This is a victory for the citizens of  all Middle Tennessee who have been the victims of  ‘taqqiya’ (Islamic lying for the sake of advancing Islam) during this entire process,” said Zelenik,  a leading critic of the construction of the Islamic Center.  Zelenik, as a 6^th district congressional candidate in 2010, openly challenged the project resulting in numerous death threats.  Since then, she has devoted countless hours as Executive Director of the Tennessee Freedom Coalition speaking out against radical Islam and its encroachment into American culture.

She is once again in the race for the Republican nomination for District 6.  “For over 2 years my opponent has been and still is on the sidelines of this issue.  This is not a partisan issue, but an American issue and her silence is deafening”, said Zelenik.

“This was not an issue of freedom of religion.  Islam does not claim to be a religion, but a social and political system that intends to dominate every facet of our lives and seeks to dominate it’s host culture by any means including force and violence.  This case was for equal treatment under the law.  No Christian church or Jewish synagogue would have received this type of treatment from the Planning Commission.”

“I was criticized for being opposed to freedom of religion,” Zelenik stated, “but the reality is that I was speaking for the citizens of Tennessee  who felt they had no voice.  As a political figure, I was proud to stand with other brave citizens who were outraged by the denial of their due process rights.  Those citizens and the attorneys deserve all the credit in the world.”

Anyone interested in her campaign can go by the headquarters at 1253 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet  TN, or call (615) 483-3955. For more information on Lou Ann Zelenik please check out www.VoteLouAnn.com

Comment: Whether or not adequate notice was given in this matter is a technical legal issue that probably needed clarification. I do not fault the court for this very narrow ruling in this case. So, I may actually agree with Lou Ann Zelenik on this ruling. However, I am supporting Diane Black in the 6th District Congressional Republican primary because she is not Lou Ann Zelenik. Should Zelenik win the primary, I would have to carefully consider the candidacy of her Democrat opponent.  Anyone who thinks the world's second largest religion is not a religion is a nut. If you respect the constitution, you cannot ignore the First Amendment.

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Update: Construction of Murfreesboro mosque must stop

Update:
Below are excerpts from a website called WND Faith, that provides a lot more information on the courts ruling and related activity:

“The court assumed there was no ill intention or willful deception on the part of the county,” the ruling continued.

“We do not attribute any sinister motives to the county, though we note the undercurrent of the argument presented by the plaintiffs. We simply find that the county failed to publish the meeting…”

The opinion noted that under the county regulations there is not an entitlement to a public hearing, but there is a requirement that the public be properly notified.

It further said that the denial of permission for a building to be used “as a religious meeting place” must be done in a non-discriminatory manner. (read more)

Original post:
According to a report from WSM news a judge has ruled that construction of a controversial Murfreesboro mosque must cease immediately. Judge Robert Corlew III ruled that construction must cease because not enough notice was given about a public meeting. What is adequate public notice is not defined in law, so this will most likely result in changes in the law that will define "public notice." 

It is highly unlikely that this will stop the Mosque from being constructed. The Planning Commission will have to give proper notice and meet again to consider the issue and again vote to authorize the construction. The fact that a vocal group of citizens do not think Muslims should have first amendment rights and who think that the second largest religion in the world is not really a religion can have no bearing on whether or not a permit should be issued.

Should for some reason, the Mosque be denied a permit, the city would most likely be sued and have to pay huge damages to the mosque enriching the congregation and the mosque would be built elsewhere in the County.  The city can not deny Muslims the right to build a Mosque no more than they can deny Catholics, Jehovah Witness or Mormons the right to build a house of worship. This win for the Mosque opponents does not stop the mosque, it only delays it for a short while. I would hold off on dancing in the streets and thanking God for this victory.

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Victoria Jackson of SNL joins the anti-Muslim crusade

Victoria Jackson is cute. I like her dim-witted, squeaky-voice, dizzy-blonde persona.  Last summer I saw her  perform at one of the Tea Party events which took place out in the Opryland area in the parking lot of  a sports bar. She sang a song that had a refrain in the chorus where she whispered the words, "there is a Communist in the White House."

I think calling President Obama a Communist is over the top. I never do it. "Communist" has a definite meaning. I know President Obama appointed self identified Communist Van Jones to a czarship and I  know that President Obama has close ties to extreme leftist terrorist Dohrn and Ayers.  Nevertheless, I would not myself call President Obama a Communist. Since he does have these close Communist ties however, and since the song was humorous, I did not feel offended by the song and I enjoyed Victoria Jackson's performance.

Now, Victoria Jackson has jumped on the anti-First Amendment bandwagon which wishes to deny Freedom of Religion to followers of the Islamic faith. I am not naive and I think radical Islam is a threat. However, the response to this threat of people who cherish American values should not be to take the position that American's who follow the Islamic faith should be denied their rights as Americans. If Mosques are in-fact breading grounds for terrorist then that is a law enforcement problem.

There are some dark blemishes on America's historic treatment of minorities: the trail of tears removed culturally assimilated peaceful Indians to the west because white settlers wanted their land; in the Jim Crow south, all-white juries acquitted guilty Klansman for lynchings of Black Americans; and in World War II, we imprisoned 120,000 Japanese without trial because we suspected their loyalty.

In all of these events many good people stood by and said nothing.  I fear that some of the more rabid anti-Muslim activist, if they had their way would destroy all Mosque, force Muslims to convert to Christianity and imprison those who did not. Good people should not stand by and let bigotry grow to a dangerous levels. I am very disappointed when I see people who I otherwise think of as good people advocate denying Muslims their Constitutional rights. I am disappointing when I see people who I otherwise think of as intelligent take the view that all Muslims are Islamic radicals.

This anti-Muslim campaign has unfortunately gained a foothold in the conservative movement. Many self-proclaimed Islamic experts are on the speaking circuit spreading fear and ignorance and on the internet preaching hate and there are no shortage of politicians who are willing to pander to the worst in people. This should not grow unchecked.

In reading the comments that accompanied this story, I think Mark Rogers made a couple good observation:

Victoria Jackson as a spokesman for anything is a better joke than any from her years on SNL

 Mrs. Zelnick as an expert on Islam? Does she read or speak Arabic? Has she read the Koran or any learned commentaries on it? Is she familiar with any histories of Islam not written by people who want to abolish the religion?

Well said Mark.

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This Sharia Law business is just crap…

“Sharia Law has nothing to do with this at all, it’s crazy!” “This Sharia Law business is just crap… and I’m tried of dealing with the crazies."

Way to go, Governor Christi! Too many Republicans are being intimidated by the crazies who think the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. We need more Republicans willing to stand up for the First Amendment and common sense instead of pandering to the bigots the way Herman Cain did during his recent visit to Murfreesboro.

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Islamic Center of Murfreesboro Welcomes Justice

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro joins in with all Americans in expressing our thanks to President Obama and the couragous members of our armed forces in this great success in our fight against terrorism. The ICM feels that a great justice has taken place. Both the ICM and the Muslims of Murfreesboro will remain vigilant in our stand against radicals of any kind and any act that results in the death of innocent people here in the US and around the globe.

We pray that God bless this great country of ours and that God ease the pain of those who lost loved ones and have suffered in this fight.(link)

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We share the joy and sense of relief with the nation that this evil person met his end.

The Islamic Center of Nashville (ICN) congratulates the US government and our neighbors on the death of Osama Bin Ladin, a terrorist who was responsible for the death of several thousand innocent lives. We commend our forces that conducted a successful raid that brought justice to this murderer. We share the joy and sense of relief with the nation that this evil person met his end. We again reiterate that we denounce the act that killed American-Muslims and Non Muslims. We appreciate President Obama that US is not at war with Islam and Osama Bin Ladin did not represent Islam.

We hope the death of terrorist AlQaeda leader Osama Bin Ladin will lead to a decrease in the number of innocent civilian deaths worldwide. The violent actions of Bin Ladin and his followers violated basic Islamic teachings and resulted directly or indirectly in the deaths of many innocent lives.

ICN endorsed the fatwa (religious ruling), against terrorism and religious extremism issued by the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) and endorsed by hundreds of U.S. Muslim groups, leaders and institutions. The fatwa stated in part:

“Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians’ life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram - or forbidden - and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not martyrs.”

Amir Arain, M.D.
Director, Public Relations
Islamic Center of Nashville (link)

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Murfressboro Mosque Leaders Speaks About Bin Laden's Death

Watch the Video.
"We don't celebrate the death of any human being, but in this case, I believe justice has been served," said Saleh Sbenaty of the Islamic Center of Nashville.

"We were hoping he would be captured alive because we need to know more about al-Qaida and his collaborators so we can dismantle this terrorist organization," Sbenaty said.

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Red State Update: Murfreesboro vs. The Mosque

I watched the CNN special last night “UNWELCOME: The Muslims Next Door”. The opponents of the Mosque came off looking like ignorant rednecks and one crazy Black dude.  Did you see the way the lawyer for the Mosque opponents was dressed? All he needed to complete the clown look was a big red nose. I was embarrassed. What can I say? Anyway, Red State Update has a good take on it. This is funny! (Be warned it contains strong language.)

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CNN Spotlights Murfreesboro and Mosque 7PM Sunday Night

Murfreesboro is making worldwide news again on Sunday night (3/27/2011). CNN is broadcasting a special at 7:00 o’clock local time (Central) that is titled “Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door. Does freedom of religion mean freedom from suspicion?”
Preview at http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/03/09/unwelcome.the.muslims.next.door.cnn

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Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, the King hearing and a love for America and a love of Islam

While I have been a critic of those who would deny first amendment rights to followers of the Muslim faith and while I think that some of the “creeping Sharia” alarmist are paranoid nuts when they warn us about the danger of Sharia complaint credit cards and Muslim-only cemeteries and gender segregated swimming pools, I nevertheless do think that radicalization of American Muslims is a serious concern worthy of Congressional hearings.

There have been 161 terrorist acts or attempted terrorist acts by American Muslims since 9-11 in this country. In Europe the failure of Muslim minorities to assimilate and the degree of Muslim radicalization is worse than in America.The threat of radical Islam may be the biggest threat to America and the world in the 21st century.   To ignore this problem is just foolish. To pretend that radicalism of all types should be lumped together and it is somehow un-American to explore the problem of Muslim radicalization is just stupid as far as I am concerned. That attitude is political correctness that can put us in danger. It is fitting that Muslim radicalization be investigated to understand why it is occurring and what can be done about it.

Nevertheless, I was somewhat fearful that Representative King's hearing would turn into a witch hunt and a platform for bigotry. Seeing some of our own local anti-Muslim activist make unfounded allegation about Muslims and seeing pandering politicians wonder aloud if the First Amendment really applies to Muslim, I was fearful these same type people would be giving a platform to spread the same message of hate and fear.

This past weekend I watched hours of the King hearings on C-Span. I was pleased. I was pleased to see other Muslims express concern about radicalization in their community and see the family of a youth who had committed a terrorist act testify about the danger of radicalization. Instead of these hearings spreading bigotry, I think they may provide insight and understanding.

I was especially pleased to see patriotic Muslim Americans advocate separation of Mosque and State and proclaim a love for America and a love of Islam. I was most impressed by the testimony of Dr. Zuhdi Jasser of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. Above is a portion of his testimony.

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Know Your Bible; Know Your Qur'an

There are a lot of people wanting me to read the Qur'an. Every time I post something suggesting that not all Muslim are terrorist or that the First Amendment also applies to followers of the Muslim faith or that there really are some secular Muslims, people send me numerous verses from the Qur'an and suggest I read the Qur'an.

I have never read the Qur'an. I have tried. I checked it out of the library one time and read parts of it and skimmed it but it was too boring to read it all. So, I don't know the Qur'an. However, I am pretty familiar with the Bible. I have read or had read to me the Bible from cover to cover twice and have read the Bible at random for many years although I don't read it much anymore.

I am often surprised at how little most people know about the Bible. They may have been attending church their whole life and still not know much Bible. There are some passages in the Bible that are almost never read from the pulpit.
One of the things I noticed about the verses people send me from the Qur'an is that a lot of them sound very familiar to Bible verses.

I thought it might be fun to see if people can pick from a collection of verses those that are from the Qur'an and which are from the Bible. If this was a game show we could call it, "Know Your Bible; Know Your Qur'an."

Some of the verses are a give-away, because they use the term "Allah" or have other obvious clues but many of them are hard to determine. Take the following quiz and see how many you can get correct. The Answers are at the end. Let me know your score.

Know your Bible; Know your Qur'an

Charging interest/usury

(A) Those who charge usury are in the same position as those controlled by the devil's influence. This is because they claim that usury is the same as commerce. However, GOD permits commerce, and prohibits usury. Thus, whoever heeds this commandment from his Lord, and refrains from usury, he may keep his past earnings, and his judgment rests with GOD. As for those who persist in usury, they incur Hell, wherein they abide forever.

(B) If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.

Murder, rape, and pillage

(C) So they sent twelve thousand warriors to Jabesh-gilead with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children. "This is what you are to do," they said. "Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin." Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the little remnant of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon. Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the four hundred women of Jabesh-gilead who were spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them. The people felt sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had left this gap in the tribes of Israel. So the Israelite leaders asked, "How can we find wives for the few who remain, since all the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead? There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel will not be lost forever. But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God's curse."
Then they thought of the annual festival of the LORD held in Shiloh, between Lebonah and Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, "Go and hide in the vineyards. When the women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to be your wife! And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, 'Please be understanding. Let them have your daughters, for we didn't find enough wives for them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not give your daughters in marriage to them.'"
So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. They kidnapped the women who took part in the celebration and carried them off to the land of their own inheritance. Then they rebuilt their towns and lived in them. So the assembly of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.

(D) As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace. If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.

Rape

(E) If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.

(F) And forbidden to you are wedded wives of other people except those who have fallen in your hands as prisoners of war . . .

Parents

(G) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

(H) Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.

(I) Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,

Kill your enemies

(J) But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

(K) Remember Thy Lord inspired the angels with the message: "I am with you: give firmness to the believers, I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips of them."

Stone to death

(L) If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, 19 his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. 20 They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." 21 Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death."

(M) "If any man takes a wife, and goes in on her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, 'I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin..." (Deuteronomy 22:13,14)
"But if ... evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones..."

Homosexuality

(N) If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

(O) Lot said to his people, "You commit such an abomination; no one
in the world has done it before! "You practice sex with the men,
instead of the women. Indeed, you are a transgressing people."

(P) "Do you have sex with the males, of all the people? "You forsake
the wives that your Lord has created for you! Indeed, you are
transgressing people."

Women and modesty

(Q) Do not be soft in your speech in a way that may excite men to feel an eager desire for you or lust after you, lest in whose heart is malice and is devoid of soundness and rectitude should be excited to feel a desire for you or lust after you.
Do not show or display fineries or ornaments or beauties of your form or countenance that may excite a man’s lust

(R) In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.

Women to be submissive to men

(S) Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Sex Slaves

(T) When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment.

Genocide

(U) "Go up, my warriors, against the land of Merathaim and against the people of Pekod. Yes, march against Babylon, the land of rebels, a land that I will judge! Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them, as I have commanded you," says the LORD. "Let the battle cry be heard in the land, a shout of great destruction".

(V) When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are all more powerful than you. When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them, and don't let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters. They will lead your young people away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will destroy you.

Alcohol

(W) “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die,

(X) Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

(Y) "O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,- of Satan's handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper."

Love

(Z) And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in peace and tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those who reflect"

(AA) However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Acts of compassion

(BB) "And what will explain to you what the steep path is? It is the freeing of a slave from bondage; or the giving of food in a day of famine to an orphan relative, or to a needy in distress. Then will he be of those who believe, enjoin fortitude and encourage kindness and compassion."
`
Bible: B, C, D, E, G, I, J, L, M, N, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, AA,
Qur'an: A, F, H, K, O, P, Q, Y, Z, BB
How many did you get right?

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Murfreesboro Mosque Circus returns!

All those God-fearing, Constitution-waving enemies of the First Amendment can rejoice! The Murfreesboro Mosque Circus is coming back to town! They get another opportunity to try to prove that the religion practiced by one and a half billion people, about a quarter of the earth's population, is not really a religion. They will get another opportunity to waste the money of the taxpayers of Rutherford County. They can further tarnish the image of Tennessee. They can cancel out all the effort and money spend to attract businesses to Tennessee. If they are lucky they may create enough interest to have another movie made about Tennessee. "The Murfressboro Mosque Circus" may be the sequel to "Inherit the Wind." The Circus is back in town! Read all about it.

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Murfressboro Mosque Circus makes The Economist.

The Murfressboro Mosque story has made the news all over the world including the prestigious Economist magazine. The Economist article offers no special insight but presents a factual summary of events.

This trial has brought publicity to Murfressboro and Tennessee that we did not need. It has tarnished the image of Tennessee almost equal to the Scopes monkey trial. The only thing that could have made it worse is if the judge in the case had not followed the rule of law and had ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.

I am sure that many others observers share the view of one reader who left this comment on the Economist website:

Ahh Tennessee, birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan, what a welcoming and inclusive club of reasonable, well-intentioned people. I sure am glad that the international community can look upon America and see our greatness and the strength of our democracy at work in Tennessee. Bravo Tennessee, keep representing the best America has to offer, I'll be sure to wave hello as I pass over this backwater flyover state.

The plaintiffs are threatening to appeal the case. On what grounds, I don't know. This has already cost Rutherford County over $50,000 and probably much more in damage to the good name of Rutherford County, Murfressboro, and Tennessee. This is not going to help with MTSU student recruitment or business recruitment. If I were the CEO of a large firm looking to relocate my corporate headquarters, I would probably mark  Murfressboro and maybe Tennessee off my list. I hope this circus does not have a return engagement.

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chancellor sticks to law, First Amendment applies to Murfreesboro and mosque must can be built

Judge denies request to stop work on Murfreesboro mosque
By Stephen George, City Paper, Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 3:53pm

After a trial that stretched more than two months and devolved into what many spectators called a circus that garnered international attention and ridicule, Rutherford County Chancellor Robert Corlew denied plaintiffs' request for a temporary injunction Wednesday afternoon.(link)

Comment: Thank God this circus is over and thank God we still have freedom of religion in America.

If chancellor sticks to law, Murfreesboro mosque must be built
by Gail Kerr, The Tennessean, November 17, 2010

Now it's up to Rutherford County Chancellor Robert Corlew III.

Will this end up being one of his finest hours, ruling that a Murfreesboro mosque can be built — whether he personally likes it or not — because it legally met all local planning and building criteria?
.........
If he is an impartial member of the judiciary who follows the rule of law, instead of a rogue judge who makes it up as he goes, then the mosque will get built. You may disagree with that. If you think judges should be activists who reinterpret the law as they see fit, based on the political winds of the day, you'll love it if the judge rules against the mosque. (link)

Comment: Amen. I agree and could not have said it better. I am glad this circus is leaving town. I just hope the Judge rules for the rule of law. I am embarrassed an appalled that there are so many local "conservatives" opposing property rights, opposing the Constitutional First Amendment  right to Freedom of Religion, advocating big government and judicial activism. I am not that kind of conservative.

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