Across nation, mosque projects meet opposition
By Laurie Goodstein
While a high-profile battle rages over a mosque near ground zero in Manhattan, heated confrontations have also broken out in communities across the country where mosques are proposed for far less hallowed locations.
Christopher Berkey / AP file
Protester Greg Johnson, right, and counter protesters Ina Marshall and Tim Foster, left, argue during demonstration against a planned mosque and Islamic community center on July 14 in front of the Rutherford County Courthouse in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
In Murfreesboro, Tenn., Republican candidates have denounced plans for a large Muslim center proposed near a subdivision, and hundreds of protesters have turned out for a march and a county meeting.
In late June, in Temecula, Calif., members of a local Tea Party group took dogs and picket signs to Friday prayers at a mosque that is seeking to build a new worship center on a vacant lot nearby.
Concerned American Citizens 