Claim: Somali Muslim refugees "took over" the small town of Shelbyville, Tennessee and targeted local Christians with "violent Islamic crimes".
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: the mosque's construction. The litigation was spearheaded by lobbyist Laurie Cardoza-Moore, who demanded that the Rutherford County sheriff investigate a supposed conspiracy linking the mosque with Islamic militants in Somalia and Gaza. She said to a Christian television station that the mosque was part of a plot to take over Middle Tennessee. Cardoza-Moore led a group called Proclaiming Justice To The Nation (PJTN), which funded the lawsuit via donations. Some of the donors were called as witnesses in the hearing. One witness admitted that PJTN had paid him thousands of dollars to read to the court extracts from anti-Muslim Internet

title: 2015 Chattanooga shootings
text: the shootings. Paul Galloway, representing the American Muslim Advisory Council, said that Muslims in Tennessee "express our deepest condolences to the victims and their families. Terrorists seek to divide our society, and we pray that all Americans will stand together united against their wanton violence and hatred." The National Executive Director of Council on American–Islamic Relations, Nihad Awad, said, "Such inexcusable acts of violence must be repudiated by Americans of all faiths and backgrounds." The National Vice-President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA stated, "While we do not yet know what motivated this man, we urge calm, defer to authorities

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: thousands and thousands of Muslims into that relatively rural area the next thing you know they're going to be taking over the city council." Murfreesboro's mayor, Ernest Burgess, called Robertson's claims "so ridiculous they do not deserve a response." Opposition was also fanned by a local newspaper, the ultra-conservative "Rutherford Reader", which published numerous anti-Islamic articles. After protests from readers over these, some of its advertisers boycotted the newspaper. As the barrage of criticism from right-wingers continued, the ICM received a series of threatening and offensive anonymous telephone messages. Reviewing the controversy, the Nashville daily newspaper "The Tennessean" noted that

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: defendant, its members were unable to defend themselves in court against such accusations. If the case went against them, they would be forced to seek fresh approval in a climate that had become intensely hostile towards them. Saleh Sbenaty, a Syrian-born spokesman for the ICM, called the attacks "draining" and said that he had "left my country over 30 years ago to get my freedom over here, and now that's being threatened. My First Amendment rights are under fire." The issue of whether adequate notice had been given was complicated by the fact that Tennessee law did not define what

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: arrival of refugees from Somalia and Kurds from Iraq, who were resettled there by the federal government upon fleeing the repression of Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War. Middle Tennessee now has the largest population of Iraqi Kurds in the United States. In addition, a significant number of foreign-born Muslims have moved to the area to study at Vanderbilt University or Middle Tennessee State University. Established in 1982, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM) formerly occupied a building of located on Middle Tennessee Boulevard near Middle Tennessee State University. Its congregation consists of about 250-300 local families and 400-500

title: Christian terrorism
text: targeting an apartment complex home to a mosque and many Muslim immigrants from Somalia. Stein allegedly told the agent the trio would use ammonium nitrate to make the bombs, a method used in 1995 by Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. Dr. John Birky, who works with the Somali community, told the AP about 300 to 500 Somali refugees resided in the area where the attacks were planned. Christian Identity is a loosely affiliated global group of churches and individuals devoted to a racialized theology which asserts that Northern European whites are the direct descendants of the lost tribes of Israel,

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: to keep a mosque out of their neighborhood. They really feel that Islam is a threat to America and American values." Essam Fathy, an ICM member, said: "We have nothing to hide. We do not have a hidden agenda. We're not affiliated with anyone. Where is the tolerance?" The mosque's imam, Ossama Bahloul, said that he had told a child that the hatred faced by the center was "just a misunderstanding, miscommunication. I told him to love the people because one day they can love you, too." The controversy gained national attention when Lou Ann Zelenik, a Tennessee Republican Party

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: fear that Christianity was losing its grip on a Bible Belt heartland, a "swell of fear and hatred" prompted by terrorist attacks, and the insecurity of the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. In past slumps, Chinese immigrants had been ostracized for being non-Christians, Catholics had been ostracized for being "the wrong kind of Christians", and this time Muslims were suffering the brunt of prejudice. Rabbi Rami Shapiro noted that "Muslims are in the way of God's plan" for some anti-Muslim Christian Zionists, who believe that Muslims in Iran and Iraq will be forced out of their homes by

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: supporting such an organization. The law was passed, but the state legislature took out direct references to Sharia and Islam. Hedy Weinburg of the American Civil Liberties Union's Tennessee branch views the controversy as part of a trend; she told "The American Prospect" that "[y]ou don't have to dig too deep to see and hear the very rampant xenophobia and anti-Muslim voices." In mid-July 2010, supporters and opponents of the mosque organized rival marches to the Rutherford County courthouse. Around 800 people turned up, with about the same number on either side. Middle Tennesseans for Religious Freedom promoted slogans such

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: Israeli expansion that will pave the way for the Second Coming of Jesus. Professor Ron Messier, who teaches Islamic studies and lives in Murfreesboro, commented: "It's happened because this is an election year and I think there were some political candidates who thought that, here in Middle Tennessee, a lot of people have very right leanings and they could gain some political leverage by promoting fear about people who have been here for 20 years or more without ever being an issue." The Planning Commission gave final approval to the building plans in early August 2010 and on August 20,

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: contractors broke ground on the site. A week later on August 28, an arsonist doused four excavators with an accelerant and set one on fire, destroying it. The incident was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a $20,000 reward was announced for "information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators". Although the attack did not substantially delay the construction project, it resulted in an increase in tensions. Tennessee's governor, Phil Bredesen, responded to the incident by calling on state residents to "please have great respect for anyone's religious preferences

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: concerns about public safety, the occasion passed off peacefully. A single opponent turned up in an "I Love Jesus" hat and told reporters that he was there to "represent the Christians". Shortly before the opening, members of the neighboring Grace Baptist Church erected 13 white crosses in a field across the road from the mosque "to make a statement to the Muslims about how we felt about our religion, our Christianity. We wanted them to see the crosses and know how we felt about things." Ossama Bahloul of the ICM told worshippers, "This day is a day of forgiveness. We

title: Terry Jones (pastor)
text: promoted on Facebook and on YouTube. National and International discussion, objections and protests contributed to extensive media coverage. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "It's regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida with a church of no more than fifty people can make this outrageous and distressful, disgraceful plan and get, you know, the world's attention." The commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus said, "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic

title: Persecution of Christians
text: of the "transmigrasi" program of population re-distribution. Conflicts have often occurred because of the aims of radical Islamist organizations such as Jemaah Islamiah or Laskar Jihad to impose Sharia, with such groups attacking Christians and destroying over 600 churches. In 2005 three Christian girls were beheaded as retaliation for previous Muslim deaths in Christian-Muslim rioting. The men were imprisoned for the murders, including Jemaah Islamiyah's district ringleader Hasanuddin. On going to jail, Hasanuddin said, "It's not a problem (if I am being sentenced to prison), because this is a part of our struggle." Later in November 2011, another fight between

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: them." Ben Lemming, a Democratic candidate for the same seat, was one of the few Tennessee politicians to support the mosque project, stating: "The Americans that want to build this mosque are already our neighbors. They live next to us and they are a part of our community. They are not the enemy." Another Republican, Ron Ramsey, the Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee, questioned whether Islam is "actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult or whatever you want to call it" and described it as resembling "a violent political philosophy more than [a] peace-loving religion." His

title: Persecution of Christians
text: passengers from the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and Guinea Bissau. The motive was that the victims "professed the Christian faith while the aggressors were Muslim." The surviving Christians formed a "human chain" to resist the assault. The 15 suspects were arrested in Palermo, Sicily, and charged with "multiple aggravated murders motivated by religious hate" by the Italian authorities. In 2017, after Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière had asked crimes against Christians to be recorded, German authorities reported 100 attacks on Christians and their symbols, among which were on murder, nine resulted in injury and a case of arson.

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: and their rights to practice those in the United States." Republican Sue Myrick, a North Carolina member of the United States House of Representatives, called the attack "un-American". Two days after the fire, 150 local residents attended a candle-lit vigil on the steps of the Rutherford County Courthouse to protest the arson attack. Many Christians, some of whom had sons fighting in Afghanistan, sent messages of support to the ICM which posted them on a "wall of support" in its existing building. One local resident said that the planned mosque didn't "bother me because everybody has a right to practise

title: Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
text: as "Freedom of religion means freedom for all religions", while opponents circulated a petition asking the planning commission to overturn its decision and expressed concerns that the mosque's members wanted to impose Islamic law. The mosque's opponents wore "Vote for Jesus" T-shirts, carried signs with slogans such as "Keep Tennessee Terror Free", chanted "USA! USA!", conducted Christian group prayers and heard anti-mosque pastor Dusty Ray of the Heartland Baptist Church telling them, "Lord, we're trying to stop a political movement." Televangelist Pat Robertson weighed in during August 2010, telling his TV audience, "You mark my word, if they start bringing

title: Losing Our Sons
text: a truth that few dare engage. The film documents the radical ideology preached in Nashville's universities and local mosques. It contains actual sermons given by local Islamic leaders railing against Jews and Christians, as well as against American democracy. This vividly contrasts with scenes of local Jewish and Christian leaders embracing these very same radical Imams, who pose as moderates but whose beliefs and teachings are unveiled for all to see. The local newspaper, The Tennessean, which has been blinded by political correctness, publishes glowing reports about Islamic leaders while ignoring their easily found hate sermons, which are posted on

title: Sectarianism and minorities in the Syrian Civil War
text: Christian refugees frequently express fear of anti-government rebels. When the PYD-controlled town of Ras al-Ayn was invaded by Islamist rebels in late 2012, much of the town's Assyrian Christian population fled almost overnight. One refugee stated "The so-called Free Syrian Army, or rebels, or whatever you choose to call them in the West, emptied the city of its Christians, and soon there won't be a single Christian in the whole country." On 23 April 2013, the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox archbishops of Aleppo were kidnapped near Aleppo by an armed Chechen group. The president of the Syrian National Council