My previous – and first – diary related a controversy over a proposed mosque in Temecula, CA. On Wednesday night, the Temecula City Council approved the construction of the mosque after a public hearing that lasted until 3:30 a.m. More below the fold.
As the Los Angeles Times reports:
After a marathon eight-hour hearing that ended at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Temecula City Council unanimously approved the mosque, a decision officials said was based not on incendiary religious or political issues but rather on such mundane matters as traffic, parking and environmental impact.
The City of Temecula is located in Riverside County, inland from the San Diego coastal region, separated by mountains and the Cleveland National Forest. Mirroring the rest of California’s political complexion, the inland area is predominantly red and conservative, made up mostly of bedroom communities that provide the housing for those employed closer to the coast. Temecula has had rapid growth since the 1980s and is now over 100,000 people.
The city of Temecula has a Muslim demographic that has long had a place of worship in the community and they have long taken part in city life. While making do with a warehouse, the Muslim community has finally raised funds to build a proper mosque. The Islamic Center of Temecula Valley is moving ahead with plans to build a 24,943-square-foot mosque on a vacant, four-acre plot in the southeast portion of Temecula. The vacant land lies on one side of a cul-de-sac, with the other side the home of a Baptist Church. And it is the pastor of this church who is fueling virulent opposition to the mosque; the local Tea Party has denied charges that they assisted with organizing the protest.
As can be expected, the coded language of American Taliban-style bigotry was evident during the hearing:
During the public hearing, Amy Pina, 42, of Temecula said that assurances from Harmoush and other local Islamic leaders would do nothing to dispel fears of more terrorist attacks by radical Muslims.
"We are not racists and bigots because we are speaking out," Pina said as she addressed the council. "You want to come here, and not abide by our laws, and then you can just turn around and find another place to live."
The pastor of Orchard Christian Church, which would share the cul-de-sac with the mosque, couldn’t believe he was being asked to share Gods:
But the debate also was fraught with religious undertones. Pastor Terrell Berry of the Orchard Christian Fellowship in Temecula said there are both Christians and Muslims who fail to live up to the tenets of their faiths, breeding confusion and fear among the disparate religions.
"It confuses us when we hear and read that many mosques are used to call its members to insurrection and jihad," Berry told the council. "We know that's not true of every mosque, but I would question this: Is it going to be true of this mosque? And if it's not going to be true of this mosque, and then demonstrate that."
So, Pastor Berry, how do we know your congregation doesn’t hunt and kill doctors who perform abortion? I guess that’ll be a subject for a later time. And, of course, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
In any case, it was the City who had their butts on the line. Like other cities in California, fiscal conditions are grim here – my own brother-in-law was laid off from the Planning Department – and budgets are tight and getting tighter. The City could ill-afford to spend millions defending a lawsuit they would lose:
Early in the hearing, City Atty. Peter Thorson warned council members that they could only consider land-use issues when reviewing the project and that to base any decision on religious, political or social factors would violate freedom of religion under the 1st Amendment.
But sanity prevailed; hats off to Councilman Jeff Comerchero, who articulated his reasoning that should serve as a wake-up call for so-called conservatives and Christians:
During the hearing, Councilman Jeff Comerchero said officials had received hundreds of letters and e-mails about the mosque. He said he was struck by one critic who questioned how he would explain his vote to his children and grandchildren.
"The answer to that question I kind of formulated in my mind throughout the evening," he said before the vote. "What I'll tell my children and my grandchildren was that I was proud to sit up here and uphold the Constitution."
Read the whole story here:
http://www.latimes.com/...