At the end of last year, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro announced its intention to build a new mosque in the medium-sized city to the southeast of Nashville, Tennessee. The organization already has a mosque in the community. It’s only seeking to construct a larger facility to meet the needs of its growing membership.

A group of Christian residents of Murfreesboro soon organized an effort to stop the mosque from being built. A few concerns had to do with the details of the building permit process, but the main focus of the anti-mosque movement was religious.

At a meeting of the Rutherford County Commission last month, anti-mosque protesters explained that they didn’t think that any Islamic organization ought to be allowed in Murfreesboro. “We have a duty to investigate anyone under the banner of Islam,” said Allen Jackson of the Christian World Outreach Church. “They seem to be against everything I believe in, and so I don’t want them necessarily in my neighborhood,” said resident Stan Whiteway. Mark Walker, who lives near the proposed site, commented, “We are fighting these people, for crying out loud, we should not be promoting this.”

Are we fighting “these people”? The people Mark Walker refers to are Muslim residents of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. There is no military action against them, as there is no military action against most Muslims around the world. Many Muslim nations are, in fact, allies of the United States in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Christian activists, who have now vandalized the site of the new mosque, seek to undermine the core of their own nation’s identity: The Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution declares the right of religious freedom, and doesn’t limit that freedom merely to Christians.

Regardless, the Christian activists seek to deny religious freedom, and equality under the law, to anyone but the members of their own religion. Congressional candidate Lou Ann Zelenik, who seeks to replace Bart Gordon in the House of Representatives, has joined these protesters, in declaring that only some religions can have freedom in America. According Zelenick, Christianity and Judaism have a privileged place above all other religions under American law.

Zelenick declared,

“This “Islamic Center” is not part of a religious movement; it is a political movement designed to fracture the moral and political foundation of Middle Tennessee.

We Americans pride ourselves on being a tolerant people, but tolerance does not require naivete. Our nation is at war with Islamic extremists. Radical Muslims are killing our servicemen and servicewomen every day. They say they want to kill us, and time and again they have backed up their words with action.

Yes, we are tolerant, but our nation was founded on the tenets of the Judeo-Christian tradition; we have a right to defend that tradition.”

Zelenick has not criticized the vandalism against the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, or other acts of intimidation. She strangely declares that the proposed mosque is not religious at all, and suggests that the 250 families who are members of the Islamic Center want to kill their neighbors.

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has responded to the attempts by Zelenick and her allies to ban the building of a mosque by holding a community open house, and releasing the following statement:

“We feel blessed to be part of such a loving and accepting community. It was a pleasure getting to meet and talk with everyone who attended. We look forward to continue getting to know you and your families even more as time goes on… Our doors are always open for our friends and neighbors, and we extend an invitation to you to visit us anytime.

We enjoyed learning about the diversity in viewpoints and respect everyone’s rights to freedom of speech and religion. That is one of the many things that makes this country of ours so great and unique.”