Well it's been quite a year, hasn't it? As you may know, I live in a little  town in southern California. Before I moved here my perception of SoCal was that everyone was "cool", carefree and a little nutty. However, I just happened to find myself in the most conservative area in California, Riverside county. 

 

This year, we actually made the national news and Jon Stewart, thank you very much! Why, you may ask? 

 

Leaders of the 12-year-old Islamic Center of Temecula Valley are working to build a mosque in eastern Temecula.  About 150 families actively pray and attend events in the current building, a warehouse. Muslims have worshipped there, up to now with no incident.  The Islamic Center finally came up with enough funds to begin building a real mosque. They went to the City for plan approval. Then it began.

 

 

In July of this year,  about 20 protesters showed up before a Muslim prayer service and carried signs such as "Muslims Danced for Joy on 9/11". Some people brought their children and, get this, dogs. Those people were holding signs stating "Muslims hate dogs". Okaaaaaay.

 

Thankfully, there is another side to the story. And I am happy to be on the other side. The Interfaith Council of Temecula,  together with the Imam of the mosque, hosted a series of open gatherings to educate.  One of the constant comments about haters is "they're ignorant, that's why they are fearful".  

 

The Interfaith Council is comprised of many local religious leaders and loving individuals. Rabbis, LDS, Bahai, Muslim, Christian, Unity Church and our little Indigo Lotus Buddhism Group are part of the group.  "Meet the Muslims" was a gathering hosted by the council to educate and inform. The Imam spoke. Rabbi's spoke. Ministers spoke. Latter Day Saints spoke.  After all the speaches, the group opposed to the mosque made a series of comments showing, they had not heard, or learned a thing. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

Well, you gotta try anyway.

 

Short story long...it got really ugly. The mosque issue seemed to bring out the worst in some people. After a series of demonstrations, the issue finally came to the City Planning Council.  All plans must be approved before building can begin. The members of a local Christian church, the most avidly against the building of the mosque, began circulating a flyer weeks before the meeting, to "civilized patriots", asking all opposed to attend and to protest because, as the author of the flyer stated,  " I do what I do because I know. I and my kinfolk and friends, you, other good people, have children and will have grandchildren who will have children and I care as you do.  When the time comes and we stand in judgement before God, we will have to answer whether we served Him or the Devil. "

Huh?

Anyway... the City Planning Meeting.  This was just for the approval of the plans to build the mosque.

 

It was sad. A standing room only crowd attended and there were over 5 hours of comments from one side and the other.  Those against the proposed mosque shouted, "go back to Israel" after a Rabbi spoke in support.  That's just one comment. There were also "Obama is a Muslim", you know that sort of junk. It was that way all night. Religious leaders from the area spoke, including Jews who spent the first night of Hanukkah at the meeting, supporting their brothers and sisters in the fight for religious freedom.

 

After the meeting public comments were made by commissioners. “As a citizen I can say I was flabbergasted by the rhetoric I heard tonight,” said commissioner John Telesio. “Ignorance of the facts breeds fear. Fear breeds hatred. Unfortunately I saw a lot of that today.” Planning commissioner Robert Johnson said he was ”ashamed and flabbergasted by the type of rhetoric I heard today.”

 

Then the Temecula Planning Council unanimously approved the plans!

The other side just filed an appeal yesterday.

 

As a Buddhist, I believe in peace. As a Buddhist, I believe in the inter-connectedness of all that exists. It makes me sad that some of us are acting this way. As a Buddhist, I will be at every meeting these negative souls attend and will stand for the rights of everyone to worship as they see fit.

Merry Christmas.