In the wake of a terrorist attack in Paris that resulted in the murder of 12 people at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, a lot of people on this side of the Atlantic are wondering what limits, if any, should be placed on our freedom to mock religion. Read more
A Georgia city council has rejected a zoning request for a mosque, despite previously approving a similar request for a Christian church.
The Kennesaw City Council voted 4-1 to deny the Suffa Dawat congregation a permit for a storefront worship space. Council members cited concerns about traffic, but congregants argued that the space would have simply acted as a temporary home during the construction of a permanent mosque. Read more
When an extremist dad found out his daughter had received an assignment to learn about the rise of Islam in history, he got more than a little upset. In fact, he went so far as to threaten the school.
The Maryland Independent in Charles County reported last week that Kevin Wood, a former corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, was slapped with a no-trespassing order after he made vague threats over the phone to La Plata High School Vice Principal Shannon Morris. Read more
The Supreme Court begins its 2014-15 term today. The 2013-14 session was a disaster for separation of church and state, and there’s a general sense among defenders of that principle that it would be best if the high court simply avoided such cases. Read more
An Arkansas woman has declared her gun range a “Muslim-free zone.” Jan Morgan, proprietor of The Gun Cave Indoor Firing Range, announced the change on the business’ Facebook page; as justification, she cited the “strange behavior” of two recent patrons Morgan assumed to be of Middle Eastern descent.
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A Minnesota town is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for denying a zoning permit to a mosque.
Members of the Abu Huraira Islamic Center claim they were unconstitutionally denied the permit by the city of St. Anthony in 2012. On Wednesday, the DOJ agreed.
Speaking at a press conference about the suit, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lugar didn’t mince words. Read more
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case against the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM), the target of antagonistic legal action from community residents since 2010.
Plaintiffs had claimed that Rutherford County officials failed to give the community adequate public notice prior to the ICM’s construction -- if true, this would constitute a minor violation of county ordinances. But the plaintiffs failed to prove this violation actually occurred, and there’s strong evidence suggesting their concerns have been fuelled by virulent anti-Muslim prejudice, not facts. Read more
Opponents of an Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., are trying to take their fight to the Supreme Court – even though their losing battle has so far cost them $343, 276. It’s the latest twist in a costly legal saga that has trickled through the courts for nearly four years.
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Bryan Fischer, the director of issue analysis for government and public policy at the American Family Association (AFA), makes it a point to say something offensive pretty much every day.
Fischer first came to Americans United’s attention back in 2009, when he told attendees of the Religious Right’s “Values Voter Summit” that Adolf Hitler invented the separation of church and state. Read more
If you’re like me, your email inbox often contains items of a questionable nature. Despite spam filters, I still get the occasional message from a Nigerian government official offering me millions or notice that I’ve won a European lottery that I never entered.
But as far as I’m concerned, chain emails of a political nature are the worst: Here’s proof President Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fake! Join this plan to bombard the ACLU with Christmas cards! Mitt Romney can still be president if one-third of the states refuse to cast ballots in the Electoral College! Read more
