Plans to Build Massive Islamic Centers Raise Concerns in Tennessee

By Diane Macedo

Published August 09, 2010

Design for future Memphis Islamic Center

At the end of the first Iraq war, the United States designated Nashville, Tenn., to be a "gateway city" for refugees fleeing their war-torn country, setting the stage for what has become, less than 20 years later, a rapidly growing Muslim population in the Volunteer State.

As the Muslim population grows and their communities spread throughout the state, religious leaders say their places of worship must do the same, spurring the construction of mosques and the massive Islamic centers that host them in several Tennessee cities, including Murfreesboro, Memphis and Antioch.

But the physical size of these Islamic centers – and the associations and writings of some of the leaders behind them – are raising some concerns nationwide.

Since the U.S. Census Bureau doesn't ask about religious affiliation, it's unknown exactly how many members of any faith live in America or in any specific state -- so placing the number of Muslims currently living in Tennessee can only be based on best estimates.

Trinity College's American Religious Identification Survey of 2008 shows the number of non-Christians in Tennessee grew from 1 percent of the population in 1990 to 3 percent in 2008, but the survey does not specify how many of those non-Christians were Muslims. A June article by WKRN.com said the Muslim population in middle Tennessee had tripled in the past 12 years.

The Commercial Appeal said in a 2008 article that the Greater Memphis area was home to an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Muslims, and the Islamic Center of Nashville claims on its website that the number of Muslims in Nashville alone is estimated to be around 20,000. But neither mentions any source for those numbers.

Still, while the number of Muslims in Tennessee remains unclear, everyone agrees that it's rising, and fast. And as the number of worshippers goes up, so does their desire for more and larger places of worship.

But critics say the Muslims who now call Tennessee home are looking to expand their places of worship far beyond their need. What's more, they say, the organizations building the Islamic centers have provided no account for how they received the massive funding their projects require.

Of even greater concern, some critics say, are fears that a radical Islamic agenda may be behind the planning for these large Islamic centers.

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro

With a 15-acre plot of land now in its possession, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro aims to create a full-service prayer center complete with not only a mosque, but outdoor sports fields, pavilions and playgrounds, educational facilities, a multi-purpose facility, a gym and a cemetery.

The goal, according to the center's website, is "to improve the practice, knowledge and understanding of Islam among all people and elevate the image of Islam" by providing "correct information from accredited sources about Islam."

But one of the center's board members would also like to expand Islam through a holy war, according to his MySpace page.

Mosaad Rawash was suspended from the center's board last month pending an investigation into allegations that he supports Hamas and radical Islam, after the Investigative Project on Terrorism unveiled controversial comments and photos it said were found on an old version of Rawash's MySpace page.

According to the Investigative Project, a nonprofit research group aimed at investigating Islamic terrorist and extremist groups, the page included an Arabic pledge to join Palestinians in a holy war to reclaim their "right to Jerusalem."

The page is said to have read: "I swear by God Exalted, that I shall remain faithful to the blood of the Martyrs devoted completely to the historical right, rejecting all types of concessions no matter how strong the pressures or great the sacrifices, pledging to God Almighty to help the Palestinian people in their steadfastness and Jihad until they realize the promise of God."

A poem that was on the page reportedly referred to nations being labeled terrorists for simply defending themselves against people killing their families, adding "maybe I'd rather be called as such than die with shame…long live Palestine… Lebanon… Iraq…"

The page also had a picture honoring Hamas leaders Ahmed Yassin and Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi, the Investigative Project reported.

The MySpace profile has been changed, but the Tennessean newspaper reported seeing the posts last month and that Rawash, when contacted by the paper, said simply that his MySpace page had been inactive for some time.

The postings were removed from the profile that afternoon, the newspaper reported.

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro said on its website that it was made aware of the findings and that "Mr. Rowash is being suspended pending further investigation about these allegations, a proper action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation."

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The center calls itself "a religious, nonpolitical organization [that] does not support any radical views of any kind by any individual or group," but a list of books recently posted on its site shows it supports at least two radical clerics, says Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project.

"It includes titles from Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual mentor to the international Islamist Muslim Brotherhood" and "Harun Yahya (Turkish Islamist pushing for a Khalifa-like state ruled by the Turks)," Emerson told FoxNews.com in an e-mail.

This list no longer appears on the website, but it was located at www.icmtn.org/ListofBooks.pdf, Emerson said.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, al-Qaradawi is a prominent Sunni scholar who as recently as last year called the Holocaust "divine punishment" for Jews; encouraged Muslims to put Jews "in their place" as Hitler had done; and publicly prayed that one day Allah would give him the opportunity to die as a martyr while shooting "Allah's enemies, the Jews."

In September 2004, al-Qaradawi signed a communiqué with 93 other clerics, saying that fighting U.S. and British troops in Iraq "is a Shariah duty incumbent upon anyone belonging to the Muslim nation, within and outside Iraq, who is capable of carrying it out," and issued a fatwa permitting the abduction and murder of American civilians in Iraq in order to pressure the American military into withdrawing its forces, the Institute said on its website.

Another author on the list, Harun Yahya, also known as Adnan Oktar, reportedly spent 19 months in jail in Turkey for inflammatory anti-Semitic statements in his book "Judaism and Freemasonry" and was sentenced, again in Turkey, to three years in prison in 2008 for creating an illegal organization for personal gain, along with 17 other members of his organization the Bilim Arastirma Vakfi or "Science Research Foundation."

These issues have divided Murfreesboro residents, who last month scheduled a protest and counter-protest surrounding plans for the new Islamic center.

The Middle Tennesseans for Religious Freedom, the group that organized the counter-protest, says critics are discriminating against Muslims due to their religion.

"We, as tolerant and loving community members, come together to defend the right of any member of our community to worship and express his, her, or their faith no matter the religion," the group's Facebook page says. "We will not stand idly by while Muslim people in our community are represented falsely and assaulted on a psychological level."

Jerry Gordon, a member of the board of Former Muslims United, a group dedicated to raising awareness of "the threat from authoritative Shariah to the religious freedom and safety of former Muslims," says the fears are not about religion, they are about Shariah and political Islam.

"The first question you have to pose is: Is Islam a religion, or is it a political doctrine with a religious veneer? ...And there’s a group of people who, after much reading and scholarship, believe it’s the latter, " Gordon told FoxNews.com.

"The people in the community who opposed this are energized by the concern that perhaps what we're building here… is essentially a regional training center for something," he added. "…And the question that's really being posed for which there is no useful information just yet is where are the funds coming from?"

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro did not respond to a request for comment from FoxNews.com; on its website, it says it took three months to raise the $320,000 needed to purchase the land for the new center, over 95 percent of which it says was raised locally in middle Tennessee.

The center also accepts donations in three locations on its website, one of which is dedicated solely to the "New Project."

Looks like the pressure is on. The Muslims there are war hardened.

Islam is NOT a 'religion of peace and tolerance' ... it is a 'construct for conquest'. Their 'mosques' and 'madrassas' do not teach 'tolerance' - they preach hatred of and for the 'infidel' ... we let these centers thrive at our own risk.

hell, they write fatwas like they are posting blogs... they even have a fatwa concerning the use of smileys...

http://listverse.com/2010/02/25/top-10-bizarre-or-ridiculous-fatwas/

Well our government doesn't take warnings very well. Just look at the warning that the Clinton Administration got from the mossad at near the end of his term about an imminent attack on US soil invlolving approximately 20 militants. They even gave them the name of four of them All four happened to be 9/11 Hijackers, including Mohammad Atta.

If Clinton would have reacted properly this wouldn't have happened........(I wont even mention the lack of balls to give ok to take out Osama Bin Laden when he had the chance......Several of times.

Now would be as good a time as any to implement net neutrality.

Why do people need a place to worship the god they wish to worship? Can't people do it in their own homes? Near where I live there are 3 churches on one block on almost every block! Jeez. I wish ALL religions would quit building their places of worship. It's becoming an eye sore.

I wish everyone would wake up! Quit using religion as an excuse to be an ________________ <--------insert whatever here.

I do not like any religion equally.

they need a place to plot... religion covers it up

why do people need a building to go get drunk with others(bars)?

why do people need a building to stuff their face with others?(restaurants)

why do people need a building to read with others (library)?

why do people need a building to see movies with others(theaters)?

why do people need a building to put away their money (banks)?


we could all just drink in private, eat in private, read in private, watch dvds in private, and get a home safe and piggy bank

BUT the truth is people in America can build buildings for whatever LEGAL purpose they choose, to congregate with others of like interest or like mind

Lemme perdickt a possible future.

It will come to a boiling point where the Muslims will tire of being protested and resort to the violence they are accustomed to.

Now, those Muslims who were brought in are war savy.

The Americans only think in terms of "peaceful" protests.

Don't be surprised when they start pullin' out the AK's and grenade launchers.

Then, the nationwide Jihad against America begins.

Hussein will stand with the Muslims.

those are public places... mosques are private

and they will say it's our fault, that we drove them to it

And Obama will apologize to them and defend them against us nasty Americans.

People shouldn't be surprised that this is happening. A mosque at ground zero, now an Islamic centre if my eyes don't deceive me..All of this has been allowed. I'm sorry but I'm not racist, prejudice or hateful in any manner but what is happening here is just insane and mindless. Building a Mosque where extremists took down two juggernaut towers seems outside the realm of diplomatic courtesy. I see how they feel about us over there...with my eyes, anyone see a Catholic church over there? How about any christian format? I'm not religious at all!! But even I put my gaurd up when I think about it. Not a single one!! NO western influence whatsoever! The American people need to put a jam in this, and fast. If the U.S starts building Institutions for people that this time 50 years ago would have been in camps...I can't help but think that training grounds will soon be available with western resources, knowledge, protection and MONEY available to them. Us Canadians are praying for you and fighting with you. ( No... our army IS smaller but dedicated, the states out populate us 10 to 1) The people DO have the FINAL decision. Rally up and say no! The world knows that the blood of a westerner is strong like iron...we need to use it before people get hurt even more so than now. The LAST thing we need is a World War III. Don't forget that there is a threat of yet another Korean war.....This is all going down hill for the entire world.......and nobody wants to have to fight for something that could've been prevented.

This is America!! We do not need the filthy mosque's in this country.

Amen!

Where ever we go Canida goes and Vice Versa.

and canada...they already adopted froms of sharia law... how is that working out? all this muslim butt kissing has really got to stop.
all these mosques are is training facilitys. and money dumping grounds to terror groups.

Right! I am Glad to see some of us still care for whats right

sup d! how you been doing?