Muslims in a small Texas town want a cemetery to bury their dead, but local residents are fighting it because they’re paranoid of a Muslim takeover, reported Talking Points Memo.
The Islamic Association of Collin County requested a 35-acre development plan to construct a Muslim cemetery in Farmersville, Texas. The local residents and evangelical leaders are afraid that the cemetery will be one step closer to radical Islam gaining a foothold in their town.
“The concern for us is the element of radical Islam,” said Pastor David Meeks. “How can we stop a mosque or madrassa training center from going in there?” A madrassa is a religious school for Muslims. It’s the Islamic equivalent to Catholic school, not a terrorist training center like Meeks implies.
Mayor Joe Helmberger is more levelheaded, saying that residents’ worries are unwarranted. “There’s just a basic concern or distrust about the cemetery coming into town,” he said. He said that denying the burial site impedes religious freedom and that the Muslim group is simply trying to secure the site.
Despite Muslim paranoia in Farmersville, the mayor said the cemetery’s approval will be based solely on development standards. Meanwhile, the white residents just have to accept that there are other people in the world.
