Anti-Mosque Rhetoric in US Reportedly Boosts Taliban Recruitment
Newsweek is reporting that Taliban operatives in Afghanistan say the backlash against the construction of an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan has been a boost for the militant group. An operative named Zabihullah told the magazine, "By preventing this mosque from being built, America is doing us a big favor...It’s providing us with more recruits, donations, and popular support." Zabihullah’s comments mirror what many US terrorism analysts have been saying about the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric in America.
Evan Kohlmann recently said, "We are handing al-Qaeda a propaganda coup, an absolute propaganda coup."
Evan Kohlmann recently said, "We are handing al-Qaeda a propaganda coup, an absolute propaganda coup."
Candlelight Vigil in Tennessee Condemns Arson at Mosque Site
In Tennessee, more than 150 people gathered last night for a candlelight vigil in the city of Murfreesboro to protest the recent arson at the construction site for a new mosque and Islamic center. Andy Woloszyn of Middle Tennesseans for Religious Freedom helped organize the rally.
Andy Woloszyn: "We had a candlelight vigil condemning the arson and terrorism committed against the site of the future Islamic center, where they torched a construction vehicle down. And the very next day, when members of the board were out there, they heard several gunshots. So we came here today to support the Muslim community, to be here for them so they don’t feel alone, so they’re not the ones suffering by themselves." (Video courtesy of Seth Spuff Limbaugh / SethLimbaugh.com).
Attorney John Green spoke prior to the candlelight vigil in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
John Green: "It is my personal belief that to be here tonight evidences a respect for everything that we, as citizens of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, hold dear: the integrity and dignity, respect with which we will treat our neighbors and our friends and our colleagues." (Video courtesy of Seth Spuff Limbaugh /SethLimbaugh.com).
A group of counter-protesters in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, gathered to openly oppose the construction of the mosque. One of the counter-protesters, Kimberly Kelly, expressed support for the use of arson to stop the mosque from being built. She told The Tennesseannewspaper, "I think it was a piece of their own medicine. They bombed our country."
