U.S. affirms Islam is a religion

U.S. affirms Islam is a religion; Murfreesboro mosque can proceed
Justice Department responds to lawsuit against project

By Brian Haas • THE TENNESSEAN • October 19, 2010

If there was any doubt before, the United States government on Monday wanted to make one thing clear. Islam is a religion.

The pronouncement, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in a Rutherford County court, was in response to a lawsuit filed by critics of a proposed mosque near Murfreesboro. Opponents of the mosque on Veals Road want to block its construction. A question at the heart of the suit is whether Islam is recognized as a legitimate religion in the United States.

U.S. Attorney Jerry E. Martin said his office and the Department of Justice had been watching the lawsuit unfold and couldn't sit idly by as the opponents questioned whether Islam is a religion or a political movement bent on supplanting United States laws with Muslim laws.

"All three branches of government have repeatedly recognized Islam as a religion," Martin said Monday during an afternoon press conference. "Presidents, as far back as Lincoln and Jefferson and as recent as President George W. Bush, have, indeed, publicly recognized Islam as one of the world's largest religions."

Attorneys suing to stop the construction of the mosque declined to comment through their law offices.

But Laurie Cardoza-Moore, one of the leading critics of the mosque, still questioned whether Islam is a religion.

"The bottom line is, is the Department of Justice going to sanction a religion that kills homosexuals, that kills apostates who leave Islam and convert to Christianity, who kill women because they ask for divorce," she said. "I guess we're going to have to go back to the Constitution and see how it defines what makes a religion."

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is trying to a build new worship center after outgrowing the location on Middle Tennessee Boulevard.

About 18 months ago, religious leaders there decided to develop land they bought at Veals Road and Bradyville Pike to host their new 52,000-square foot center, which would house worship services, receptions, classrooms, a gym and a pool.

Outside, they hope to build sporting areas, a playground, a pavilion and a cemetery on the 15-acre site.

The lawsuit filed by opponents in Rutherford County accuses officials of not properly notifying the public about the process of approving the proposed mosque.

It also argues that Islam is not a valid religion.

The government was blunt in disputing that notion, saying that every court has held that Islam is a religion, protected under the First Amendment.

"A mosque is quite plainly a place of worship, and the county rightly recognized that it had an obligation to treat mosques the same as churches, synagogues or any other religious assemblies," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights. "This is not only common sense; it is required by federal law."

Martin went further on Monday, saying that unless there is an error in the approval process, the mosque should be built.

"It has been approved by Rutherford County, and as long as that approval process was free of any errors, we believe… that the mosque should be constructed," he said.

Other worries raised

Aside from procedural problems and questioning whether Islam is a religion, some opponents say they fear the new center will be used for terrorism purposes, despite the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's presencein the community for some 30 years.

Tensions have been high on the issue since it was approved in May, with competing rallies in and around Murfreesboro for and against the mosque's construction. Both sides have also reported to authorities that they received death threats.

On Aug. 28, someone set construction equipment ablaze at the site of the proposed mosque, a crime that remains unsolved.

Authorities found gasoline underneath a construction truck and noticed someone in a car who appeared to have been "watching" the fire. No arrests have been made.

The lawsuit challenging the mosque is expected to resume Wednesday morning in Rutherford County Chancery Court.

Contact Brian Haas at 615-726-8968 or bhaas@tennessean.com.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101019/NEWS06/10190336/U.S.-affirms-Islam-is-a-religion-Murfreesboro-mosque-can-proceed