The idea of Christians marching to prevent the building of a place of worship would be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic and ridiculous. One would assume that if there was ever any group that could empathize with a religious group for wanting to build a new house of worship, it would be the “compassionate” Christians. As most of us know by now, it was the Christians who came here to escape religious persecution. So why wouldn’t they stand up for those who want to build a new Islamic community center here in the ‘Boro?

It should be a rhetorical question, but just in case you don’t know the answer, it’s because the right-wing Christians who are protesting the building of the mosque are hypocrites and bigots. It’s because they’re ignorant and xenophobic. It’s also possible that they’re bored and have run out of controversial issues that they can comprehend. Whatever the motive, they’ve got some mouthpieces with a bit of clout urging on the lunacy.

World Outreach Church Senior Pastor Allen Jackson said we should thoroughly understand the intent and funding of any group that’s coming to our community under the banner of Islam. Translation: these people might be terrorists. I don’t remember people marching in the streets to prevent his massive church on New Salem Road from being built. I don’t remember anyone questioning their intent and where their funding was coming from.

And then you have the candidates for the 6th Congressional District. Crime fighter and comic book hero Jim Tracy has let the world know that “if there is any kind of terrorism, any kind of training, any kind of thing that has to do with terrorism in that facility, I will fight to oust it.” Both he and candidate Diane Black have stated that they will request studies to see what kind of “traffic issues” the mosque will have on the area. It’s understandable that they want to take issue with “traffic,” because politically they can’t just come right out and say they want to keep Murfreesboro white and Christian, but they also can’t offend the right-wing fringe that are unabashedly stupid. And that’s how white fear becomes a “traffic issue.”

Candidate Lou Ann Zelenik doesn’t have that political restraint. Her website lays it all out. “Let there be no mistake, Lou Ann stands with everyone who is opposed to the idea of an Islamic training center being built in our community. 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.” By her rationale, if the Islamic Center is designed to fracture our moral foundation, then the people of that religion are immoral. And if a mosque is a training center, then her church is a xenophobic boot camp. Do yourself a favor; go to her website and read her statement. She actually quotes Martin Luther King without any sense of irony. Isn’t there a rule somewhere that says that if you are the one doing the persecuting then you don’t get to quote Martin Luther King?

Somebody should have told her a secret when she went to Vanderbilt. Stuff called knowledge is hidden in the books she apparently didn’t read.