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Detroit Free Press - December 31, 2006
Texas man races pigs to protest mosque plans
KATY, Texas -- A man unhappy with an Islamic association's plans to build a mosque next to his property has staged pig races as a protest during afternoon prayers.
Craig Baker, 46, sold merchandise and grilled sausages Friday for about 100 people who showed up in heavy rain. He insisted he wasn't trying to offend anyone with the pigs, which are forbidden from the Muslim diet.
"I am just defending my rights and my property," Baker said. "They totally disrespected me and my family."
Muslims don't hate pigs, they just don't eat them, said engineer Kamel Fotouh, president of the 500-member Katy Islamic Association in this Houston suburb.
"I don't care if he races, roasts or slaughters pigs," said Yousef Allam, a spokesman for the group.
The dispute began when the association asked Baker to remove his cattle from its newly bought land. The association plans to build a mosque, community center, athletic facilities and a school.
Baker agreed to move his cattle but thought the Muslims also wanted him off the land his family has lived on for more than 100 years.
Earlier this month, Baker conceded that the Muslims probably aren't after his land, but he said he had to go through with the pig races because "I would be like a total idiot if I didn't. I'd be the laughingstock now because I've gone too far."
All the same, Baker plans to continue the weekly pig races until interest dwindles….
<http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS99/61231006>
Sacramento Bee – January 1, 2007
Plans for mosque in Folsom, CA on track
By Cathy Locke
Members of the Islamic Society of Folsom expect 2007 to be a landmark year.
If all goes well, they will break ground for a mosque by the end of this month, said Riaz Siddique, society president. . .
Some people voiced concerns about noise and increased traffic in the neighborhood, while others raised national security issues and called for an FBI investigation of the society's finances to find out whether it received funds from overseas.
Siddique has said that the $2.3 million project is being funded by members of the congregation and other private sources in the United States.
In an effort to alleviate concerns, Siddique said, members of the society have increased their outreach, particularly to Folsom's religious community.
Over the past year, Siddique said, he has met with various church leaders, and the society is routinely represented along with local churches in community meetings sponsored by Folsom Police Chief Sam Spiegel.
Siddique said he believes "the misunderstanding has been eliminated and we're on track."
Greg Jones, an El Dorado Hills resident and Folsom Parks Department employee who sought the FBI investigation, said he still thinks the mosque will be detrimental to Folsom, but he has been unable to sway city officials or generate active opposition in the community.
Jones said he doesn't object to local Muslims having a place to worship. But the traditional mosque with a 70-foot minaret, he said, "looks like it would be a magnet for get-togethers from all over California."
Among those who don't share Jones' fears is the pastor of his church. Kent Carlson, a senior pastor of Folsom's Oak Hills Church, said he has met with Siddique and members of the Islamic Society of Folsom, including the congregation's new imam.
"I've had wonderful conversations with Riaz and some others," Carlson said, noting that he participated in a feast at the end of Ramadan.
"My big thing is, this is the United States of America, and we have religious freedom," he said. "So I don't understand the mentality that would want to do something other than that." …..
<http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/101243.html>
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