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Across the Country, the Federal Government Fights For Muslim Worship Spaces
Powerline ^ | August 27, 2014 | John Hinderaker

Posted on 08/28/2014 1:12:20 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

The government of the United States is suing the town of St. Anthony, Minnesota, a Twin Cities suburb with a population a little over 8,000, to force the town to allow development of an Islamic center in an area reserved for industrial development. It is a minor news story, but one that sheds light on broader legal and cultural trends. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

The federal government on Wednesday sued the small north-metro city of St. Anthony, contending that its City Council violated federal law in 2012 by rejecting a proposed Islamic center. …

“An injustice has been done,” U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said at a news conference in Minneapolis. “I will not stand by while any religious group is subject to unconstitutional treatment that violates federal civil rights laws.”

Actually, DOJ happily stood by when the city previously denied a Christian group the use of the same space. Mr. Luger didn’t mention that in his pretentious announcement.

The lawsuit alleges that the council’s decision to deny the Abu Huraira Islamic Center the right to establish a worship center in the basement of the St. Anthony Business Center violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act passed by Congress in 2000.

Like me, you probably have never heard of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. I haven’t studied it, but, according to the DOJ’s web site, it prohibits zoning laws that “treat churches or other religious assemblies or institutions on less than equal terms with nonreligious institutions.” So it may actually apply here. Although, of course, no one worried about that when a Christian group was being turned down.

Apparently the Religious Land Use statute is being used by the federal government around the country to force acceptance of Islamic centers, contrary to local zoning regulations:

It marks the first time federal prosecutors have sued a Minnesota city citing the law, although the Justice Department has filed similar suits elsewhere in the country on behalf of Islamic centers, according to a U.S. attorney’s office spokesman.

So what is going on here? Why did St. Anthony turn down the application to use the property in question as an Islamic center?

In June 2012, the council rejected Abu Huraira’s proposal, concluding that a religious and cultural center was incompatible with the site’s light-industrial zoning. …

On Wednesday, St. Anthony officials continued to defend the council’s action, saying that the rejection was based purely on zoning issues. It “was not based on discrimination at all,” said City Attorney Jay Lindgren.

“Religious uses of any type are allowed in the vast majority of the city,” he said. “They are just not allowed in the roughly five percent of the city reserved for industrial uses. … An industrial zone is designed to create jobs and be an economic engine.”

Once upon a time, that would have been considered a reasonable zoning decision. But now, the full weight of the federal government–that is, the Obama administration–has come down on the side of Islam. And Islam only:

Lindgren said that the city denied another Christian organization’s request in the past few years that was similar to that of the Islamic center.

It isn’t hard to understand what is going on here. While I wish the town of St. Anthony well, it is pretty obvious that they will be ground underfoot by the powers that be, i.e., Eric Holder’s Department of Justice. Not because the administration has any particular regard for religion in general, as Christians and Jews can readily attest–just look at the Obamacare regulations. Rather, because the administration wants to display favoritism toward Islam.

If an administration could be shown to consistently favor one religion over others, would that constitute a violation of the First Amendment? Of course. But, as with so many other Obama administration scandals, long before the judicial system could even begin to address the issue on its merits, the malefactors will be long gone.


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Government; Local News; Politics; Religion
KEYWORDS: 1stamendment; ericholder; firstamendment; holder; islam; muslims; obama; obamamuslim; sharia
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
... while dismantling crosses, razing Ten Commandments markers, and removing crosses from ancient insignia.
The US government has become the primary enemy of We The People.
21 posted on 08/28/2014 4:25:24 AM PDT by Amagi (Lenin: "Socialized Medicine is the Keystone to the Arch of the Socialist State.")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; All
yeah..there it is, "Bathhouse" 0'Mullah, Conquering American Cities from within w/ his
Muslim Brotherhood Jihadist from "the White Mosque" in Frm. Washington DC.

22 posted on 08/28/2014 4:32:51 AM PDT by skinkinthegrass (The end move in politics is always to pick up a weapon...eh? "Bathhouse" 0'Mullah? d8^)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I have no problem with them having places of worship all across America, so long as there is a barbecue restaurant next to each. Would prefer each to be located next to a slaughterhouse.


23 posted on 08/28/2014 5:04:29 AM PDT by The_Media_never_lie (The media must be defeated any way it can be done.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Teen shot dead in Saint Gallen city mosque (Switzerland)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3197868/posts

Al Qaeda magazine hints of looming attack; urges bombing of Vegas, military targets
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3197852/posts


24 posted on 08/28/2014 5:22:33 AM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

BACON-BACON BACON —and more BACON. When I go out to eat I order Pig on a leash (pulled pork for those conventional readers) Because if Our secular Government ever succeeds in their desire to make us all slave to Allah -May God forbid it—I want to be sure any freaking Islamic Demon who cuts my throat get tainted by the blood of pigs so his Islamic buddies can cut off his hand. this Nation was established to be a Christian Nation. The Cross was the first structure raised on this soil by the men who followed Columbus— or Capt. James Smith ,at Cape Henry— or up in Maryland—where the enemy is now using our hostile Courts to remove a Peace Cross that has stood longer than I’ve been alive.
for our lost Federal Government to now be using the Courts to pressure American Cities to surrender to the enemy whose
Religion of HATE was behind the worst attack by an Enemy on American soil since Pearl Harbor ( the Trade Center Attacks by Islamic males) For our Government to Now join with the enemy suggests our Government has become the Enemy.
Time for “we the people... to rise up and take back what the enemy has stolen.


25 posted on 08/28/2014 5:29:42 AM PDT by StonyBurk (ring)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I don’t feel free enough anymore to say what I’m thinking...


26 posted on 08/28/2014 11:23:07 AM PDT by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I will not stand by while any religious group is subject to unconstitutional treatment that violates federal civil rights laws.”
A##wipe andy still thinks this is a religion, mutilating and kiling women and children, you go idiot andy you go


27 posted on 08/28/2014 3:54:00 PM PDT by ronnie raygun
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To: TexasRepublic
I don’t feel free enough anymore to say what I’m thinking...

I understand. You don't want to attract any attention by saying something like how Vlad Tepes knew how best to handle moslems or that nuking Mecca a thousand times would be worth the fallout. Yep, you'd never want to say anything like that!

28 posted on 08/29/2014 4:57:55 PM PDT by MeganC (It took Democrats four hours to deport Elian Gonzalez)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
He may or may not actually be a Muslim. He could just as well be an Atheist Communist or Communist Satan worshiper using Islam as a means to overthrow the Constitutional government of the U.S.

First he has to finish destroying the Christian Churches, an agenda that began as far back as S.O.H. Lyndon Baines Johnson re-writing the tax code to silence political dissent of the pulpit.

29 posted on 08/29/2014 5:25:02 PM PDT by cva66snipe ((Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?))
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