Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights of freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of worship for ALL people — without exception. We reject protests against houses of worship.
But in Temecula, California, Anti-Islam group and other activists are organizing to prevent an Islamic mosque from being built by the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley in a vacant lot in that city. According to the North County Times, the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley purchased the land for the mosque in 2005, and has stated that the application process for the mosque has taken nearly two years, while it has gone over details with the Temecula government. The Islamic Center of Temecula is currently holding religious services in a business warehouse.
The Islamic Center of Temecula is currently holding religious services in a warehouse (Photo: Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times)
One of the organizing groups is “We the People – Citizen in Action.” On other parts of the group’s web page, the group calls itself the “Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party Citizens in Action.” It views its mission as “Southwest Riverside County Citizens in Action was created to return the local Tea Party Movement to the people” and to hold “Tea Party events.”
This Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party group has been seeking to stop the building of the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley mosque – stating “It will bring in Islam and usher out our freedoms and liberties, as has happened all across Europe and already parts of the US, “and stating “Not in our city!!!! Not in our Southwest Valley!” The SWRC Tea Party group plans to have their supporters “pack the house” to an August 18th hearing to prevent the mosque, because they view that Islam is “a radically intolerant belief system that is compatible with the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. ”
California: Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party against Islam and Temecula Mosque (Photo: SWRC Tea Party Web Site)
Local Republican politician Patrice Lynes has also promoted an online “Concerned Community Citizens” petition against the planned Islamic Center of Temecula Valley mosque on her web site. Patrice Lynes states that she is a “Member [of the] Temecula TEA Party.”
Temecula Tea Party Politician Patrice Lynes has Petition against Mosque (Photo: PatriceLynes.com web page)
As R.E.A.L. has previously done with other reports of Tea Party activists that seek to protest mosques and attack Islam as a religion, R.E.A.L. will contact the National Tea Party for comment, and will update this if we receive any comment. We have not yet received any comments on this topic from the National Tea Party yet.
North County Times has reported that Islamic Center of Temecula Valley imam Mahmoud Harmoush has indicted that the group needed the space for growing numbers of families in the area, for the group that was founded in 1998. According to the North County Times, “The nearest mosques are in the cities of Riverside, Corona and San Diego, Harmoush said. He said local Muslims are excited about building a new one in Southwest County, but not everyone shares that enthusiasm. Among those at the meeting Friday at City Hall was Diana Serafin, a Murrieta resident and local political activist who said she is not opposed to the mosque, but what she believes it represents: the so-called Islamification of America.”
Pastor Bill Rench, the Christian pastor of the Temecula-area Calvary Baptist Church, stated that he opposed the Islamic Center of Temecula Valley mosque. According to the Los Angeles Times, Pastor Bill Rench told the press that Islam and Christianity “mix like oil and water” and predicted a “confrontational atmosphere” if the project moves forward. Pastor Bill Rench told the LA Times that “The Islamic foothold is not strong here, and we really don’t want to see their influence spread… There is a concern with all the rumors you hear about sleeper cells and all that. Are we supposed to be complacent just because these people say it’s a religion of peace? Many others have said the same thing.”
Pastor Bill Rench Opposes Planned Temecula Mosque (Photo: KABC TV)
Pastor Bill Rench told KABC News that “it’s not peaceful, so we have several members from an Islamic background, and have expressed concerns themselves because of their history in it” (see also ABC video link). KABC also quoted another Temecula resident Junior Satele: “To put a mosque around here is going to get a lot of people worried, just because of what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
KABC News also reported that the Islamic center’s chairman, Haid Nael, says there is no reason for concern and all the group is planning to is expand from the current building where they have been worshiping a few miles away because it is too small. KABC quoted Hadi Nael, as stating: “We don’t go out door to door, we don’t pass flyers, we don’t pass booklets.. This is really surprising to see in a free country, that there is some kind of opposition for a peaceful community like us… All we do is just pray for God. That’s all we do.”
KABC reports that “The approval of the mosque has not been finalized. The issue will come before the Temecula planning commission in August.” This is where the Southwest Riverside County (SWRC) Tea Party seeks to influence the planning commission to reject the mosque application that has been underway for two years.
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Responsible for Equality and Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights to freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience for all people of all faiths. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
We urge those who promote hate and intolerance to unburden the hate from their hearts.
We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.
