Petitioners of Antioch Mosque Quieted by Finalized Sale

While the effort to block construction of a large Islamic center in Murfreesboro continues, the debate over a planned mosque in Antioch has quieted down. The 1,800 people who signed a petition weren’t so much against a mosque as they were for a community college campus.

The Islamic Center of Tennessee has closed on the property, which is an old Carmike movie theatre. The group was in something of a bidding war for the site against Nashville State Community College. Metro Schools board member Karen Johnson really wanted to see a community college, so did the people she got to sign her petition. But Johnson says her group had nothing against Muslims.

“We told people up front, if you sign the petition, the petition is in support of Nashville State, not against the mosque.”

Johnson says she welcomes her new Muslim neighbors but still hopes Nashville State will consider another site.

There are still plenty in the community upset that an Islamic Center is going in next door, with some worrying aloud terrorists will be trained there. But Awadh Binhazim, who is a spokesman for the planned mosque, says he expects those concerns will fall away over time.

“Once we show people who we are and the goodwill that we have and the good things we want to do as American Muslims, people will see that the center is fine and is ok.”

The Islamic Center of Tennessee is still raising money for the renovations.