Click for more picturesWhile the vandalism of Al-Farooq mosque in South Nashville last week certainly shocked Tennesseans of all creeds and colors, Muslims in our state have been on the receiving end of hatred and violence before. From vandalism at Al-Farooq and the new mosque site in Murfreesboro, to desecrated Korans in Clarksville and arson in Columbia, our New American neighbors have not always been welcomed with open arms.

These acts of violence are especially unfortunate because they tarnish the name of the vast majority of Tennesseans who reject intolerance and welcome newcomers to our state, regardless of their faith. The individual(s) who vandalized Al-Farooq are examples of a dwindling extremist minority. As Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said in a statement released Thursday night, “This act does not represent Nashville. We are a friendly and diverse city, and we celebrate that diversity.”

Furthermore, any analysis about Wednesday’s vandalism must also recognize the event’s proximity to the sensationalist Channel 5 news report earlier this week. Entitled “Inside Islamville,” the report attempted to analyze the claim of a right-wing extremist organization,
 The Christian Action Network (CAN), that a small Muslim community in Dover, TN is home base to a terrorist training camp. As expected, Channel 5 uncovered nothing of note, concluding that the long-time community was not only peaceful but also completely unconnected to any violent activity. Despite this benign conclusion, Channel 5 decided to inundate their network with sensationalist advertising about the program, even going so far as to split the report into two parts, so as to postpone their conclusion as long as possible.

“Irresponsible journalism contributes to a climate of irrational fear, and has the potential to fuel a dangerous minority of extremists who truly believe that violence against Muslims is justified,” said Stephen Fotopulos, executive director of The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

“Channel 5’s ‘Inside Islamville’ report did not create anti-Islam sentiment, but it certainly exploited those same fears and carelessly associated a peaceful religion with terrorism. It gave voice to baseless accusations about a small Muslim community and insinuated those accusations might be true, all for the apparent purpose of generating ratings. While we do not yet know whether the report is responsible for motivating Wednesday’s act of vandalism, it clearly contributed to an atmosphere in which such acts are more likely.”

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In an attempt to heal the wounds of "Inside Islamville" and Wednesday’s vandalism, the Muslim community and allies from throughout Nashville participated in two events this past weekend. The first was a gathering Friday morning to re-paint the walls of Al-Farooq (see pictures). On Saturday, a larger group of people participated in one of the Islamic Center of Nashville's quarterly Open Houses, in which representatives of the community talked about the faith of Islam. 

The Tennessean also covered the weekend events:

The response Saturday focused on the core values of Islam: peace and love for others, no matter what their creed, color or status may be.

"Like many other faiths, Islam (says) do what's right, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless," said Abdelghani Barre, president of the Islamic Center of Nashville on 12th Avenue South.

"But it also forbids what's evil, such as hate and violence. … Let's find a common understanding as humans and challenge those who use religion to speak their hatred and commit violence."

That's why Matt Schaller of Nashville participated.

"What happened last week ... to me, there's just no place for that," said Schaller, a Catholic.

All in all, this past weekend was an inspiring display of unity by Nashville residents of all faiths, determined to put this week behind us and reaffirm our identity as a Welcoming City and a Welcoming State. Sometimes it takes the violence/extremism of the few to demonstrate the goodness of the many.

I am still proud to live in Tennessee.