Confronting Anti-Muslim Bigotry in Tennessee
Posted by Mike E on July 13, 2010
Jase Short sent us this video and his accompanying article on the fight to support Muslim rights to establish a mosque in Mulfreesboro, Tennessee.
This piece first appeared on the Solidarity website.
Fighting Islamophobia in Middle Tennessee
Our city in central Tennessee has become the latest battleground in the struggle against Islamophobia.
A short time ago, an area that had been zoned for a church right outside the city limits of Murfreesboro (home to Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee’s largest undergraduate university) was acquired by the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in order to construct a larger community center complete with a space for worship as well as athletic facilities. If constructed, the enlarged Islamic Center—including a very small mosque—would be the first large facility to serve the Muslim population in the surrounding area (the current Islamic Center is incredibly small and located in the industrial sector of the city near the interstate). Following all the legal procedures, the Regional Planning Commission approved the construction—just as it would any of the roughly 180 churches in this area.
That was when elements of the far right, organized by the extremely well-funded mega-church World Outreach swung into action, stacking a Rutherford County Commission meeting with vocal footsoldiers. After that, the local newspaper announced that a march against the mosque had been planned for July 14th. That was when the local Solidarity branch began its work.
The Middle Tennessee branch of Solidarity began gathering like-minded folks in the community together to form an ad-hoc grassroots group to organized a counter-protest. It was decided to name the group Middle Tennesseans For Religious Freedom and a meeting was held last Wednesday. It was attended by over 20 individuals who were committed to helping organizing the event (with 3 or 4 Solidarity members present rather than the whole branch), including a documentary film maker from out of town (another 10 or so are involved in organizing in one form or another but could not attend). It was agreed at the meeting to have the entire counter-rally themed around protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans rather than positioning the event as a defense of Islam per se (this was also the desire of the Islamic Center representatives). That said, we all have prepared ourselves to respond to the lies about Islam that are being spread in this struggle.
Since then our struggle has appeared on national news coverage, including Jon Stewart’s Daily Show—though our grassroots network was only a day old at the time. We have been phone-banking, going door to door, canvassing neighborhoods and local businesses and much more.
Islamophobia conflates ethnic, religious, cultural, and national identities into one figure which stands in a place not unlike “the Jew” in traditional European antisemitism. The power of this image of the subversive Muslim is drawn from the effect of ceaseless imperial propaganda displayed in the corporate media. It has the power to mobilize the oppressed and exploited populations of the great capitalist powers via the projection of irrational fantasies of imminent Islamic revolution onto an incredibly small minority population. Without a strong anti-war movement working deeply with the Muslim community, the mainstream population has been subjected to endless scapegoat ideology without any serious counter-force.
Cynical Republic Party politicians, such as the local Tea Party favorite for our Congressional seat, Lou Ann Zelenik (also an active member of World Outreach Church), have been making atrocious public statements such as, “Is it a church, or a training center?” in order to foment hate and churn out voters for their faction of the Party. (Zelenik is opposed to Jim Tracy, a more mainstream business-oriented Republican.)
On July 14th, with nothing but grassroots organization, we will confront a march organized by the shadowy forces of the local Republican Party apparatus and the corporate-funded World Outreach Church. We ask for your solidarity and support. At this time, the County has made its decision, and we are simply supporting it. If this counter-rally goes badly and they reverse their decision, we will reassess the situation and the struggle will continue.
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limabean said
NOT TRUE – “the Regional Planning Commission approved the construction—just as it would any of the roughly 180 churches in this area.”
If you’re going to report, you should check your facts instead of copy/paste from other blogs. They did not go by the same approach of any of the area churches. The public is angered because the planning commission didn’t do what they were supposed to do for approval and also because they didn’t announce that they were meeting about it.
limabean said
AGAIN NOT TRUE – another copy/paste from a site that is posting lies. “that was when elements of the far right, organized by the extremely well-funded mega-church World Outreach swung into action” World Outreach Church isn’t promoting the march at all. The march was organized by a man by the name of Kevin Fisher, who isn’t affiliated with World Outreach.
If you are going to report news to keep people informed, at least check out your source and report the truth.
Mike E said
Thanks for writing, and pointing out issues you have with this piece.
We are not blindly copy and posting anything: a respected author and activist (Jase) submitted this article to us and we posted it. Obviously we are committed to accuracy.
I look forward to Jase’s comment on these factual questions.
In passing, I would just like to note that your questions do not undermine the exposure of anti-Islamic bigotry — which is after all the heart of this matter. (Certainly no one believes that the hysteria over this mosque was because a planning commission cut corners. This is not a procedural problem — it is a problem of xenophobia and baseless fears and religious intolerance).
Jase said
Hey there. World Outreach Church certainly did organize this, but unofficially. It is well known around town and absolutely not disputed by either side. The pastor of World Outreach has a famous quotation from the first event, when they were stacking government building with hundreds of footsoldiers. Today, in the streets however, the grassroots prevailed over the funding and hierarchy of the right wing forces behind this effort. Our counter-rally was larger than their actual rally, and they looked marginalized and ridiculous. When they sang “Amazing Grace,” we responded with the Star Spangled Banner, presenting a united front in defense of democratic gains struggled for, against appeals to mythic Christian white fantasies. I will respond to all of this when I am not busy organizing this huge effort. I’m not tech savvy, I write articles, and loathe my time on the internet. That said, let me respond to just a little of this.
1) the mosque fell under COUNTY planning without CITY regulations, and therefore was MUCH easier to pass, and given that it is the ONLY mosque, versus the ever expanding DOZENS of churches that cramp this town (180 is a bit excessive, seriously drive down the street, if they weren’t non-profits they’d all be out of business in a day because the market is OVERSATURATED with churches, with only a SINGLE Islamic Center that is woefully small, tucked away in the INDUSTRIAL part of town. So yes, it went through faster, unlike World Outreach Church which was in the CITY. Also keep in mind that World Outreach Church is currently building its FOURTH complex, that is 125,000 square feet. The entire Islamic center is 52,600 after a decade of gradual building. Keep in mind it is the ONLY Islamic place of worship, whereas World Outreach is one of many megachurches.
2) Kevin Fisher is associated with World Outreach, as are the vast majority of the foot soldiers on the other side. simply ask those who came out what church they attend, they will gladly proclaim how great their church is, how great Jesus is, how great ALL religions are EXCEPT Islam. Keven Fisher is their spokesperson, and he absurdly stands in front of over 1000 people and cameras and proclaims that this has nothing to do with religion or Islam, it has to do with TRAFFIC ordinances…half of the crowd is carrying hate signs that are anti-Islamic. We are standing side by side with dozens of fellow citizens, including some GOOD friends AND COMRADES from the Islamic Center itself and they say hateful things to us and threaten the lives of our friends and their families simply because they come from Islamic cultures. Fisher then informed us (we have great footage) that in Islamic countries, we wouldn’t have this freedom, contradicting his stance that this had nothing to do with the fact that the building was Islamic.
3) A comrade here, Andy, tried to present Keven a flower as he spouted hate speech. He refused it. Andy commented later, “How repressed are they? Even in the 60′s they accepted flowers”…I think that sums up the experience here.
Jase said
oopsie…Kevin. Sorry, I’ve been organizing for a week straight.
Jase said
http://amerikanbeat.net/2010/07/15/on-the-murfreesboro-mosque-protest-2/
THIS is the best rebuttal to everything said.
chegitz guevara said
While I applaud the excellent organizing done by our Solidarity comrades, I’m a little disturbed by the singing of the national anthem of the empire.
Nick R said
Way to go Solidarity!
I think singing the Star Spangled Banner makes sense in the context of defending people’s rights to freedom of religion, which the US government is supposed to recognize.
amerikanbeat said
Limabean says: “The public is angered because the planning commission…didn’t announce that they were meeting about it.”
The commission did announce it–in the newspaper, as they always do. They didn’t announce it online, but that’s a sometime courtesy they aren’t legally bound to give.