I first saw this story on buzzfeed, so I also wanted to include the CBS story on the issue. The Islamic Association of Collin County (TX) wants to build a muslim cemetery in Farmersville, TX. The residents are apparently livid about this for some reason.

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One resident, a Baptist pastor named David Meeks, said that Muslims are taught not to be "friends" with Christians and Jews.

"Our history is full of Islamic problems," Meeks said according to the newspaper. "They're at war with us."

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"I do not want my child indoctrinated toward their religion. I do not want to be constantly in view of a mosque," Gwen Kakaska said according to the Farmersville Times.

She added that she doesn't buy that the IACC just wants to build a cemetery.

"Do not tell me they are not trying to put a mosque there. We do not want this to be a Muslim dumping ground," she said.

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"The bodies are generally above the water we get rain just like we did it's going to be in our drinking system," she said, according to CBS DFW.

Another man agreed.

"When somebody dies they bury them at that time," Troy Gosnell told the television station. "They don't know whether they were shot, diseased or anything else. All they do is wrap them in a sheet from the grave and bury them."

"We used to grow onions here. We sure enough don't want to be growing bodies," said Farmersville resident Mont Hendrick to CBS DFW.

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Freedom of Religion*





*only for christians

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"The bodies are generally above the water we get rain just like we did it's going to be in our drinking system," she said, according to CBS DFW.

Another man agreed.

"When somebody dies they bury them at that time," Troy Gosnell told the television station. "They don't know whether they were shot, diseased or anything else. All they do is wrap them in a sheet from the grave and bury them."

"We used to grow onions here. We sure enough don't want to be growing bodies," said Farmersville resident Mont Hendrick to CBS DFW.

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Wow! I feel like I'm reading an article from the 1950s in some rural town in Mississippi.

edit title to include "Lighten Up:"

Question: Why Farmersville? It's a one-horse town (ok, with pop. 3400, maybe two horses), that doesn't seem to have a Muslim presence. I get the land availability thing, but why choose a location where acceptance is less likely than say near Plano, Allen, or McKinney?

I don't think, from what I've read, that the location was chosen to be provocative. If a Baptist church in nearby McKinney bought the land for a cemetery or other religious function, this would be a non-story . . . . and thats what makes this a story.

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One resident, a Baptist pastor named David Meeks, said that Muslims are taught not to be "friends" with Christians and Jews.

"Our history is full of Islamic problems," Meeks said according to the newspaper. "They're at war with us."

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I am curious as to what this pastor's full quote was, because if he's trying to justify this opposition because "Muslims are taught not to be "friends" with Christians", then I think he's missed the whole point of Matthew 7:12.

Man, you really hate Baptists.

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Man, you really hate Baptists.

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No I don't. I would have said the exact same about any pastor that made the comment. This one just so happens to be baptist.

I think you like to pick on baptists because of how you grew up. You should be more loving towards them like everyone else. Lest you miss the whole point of Matt. 7:12.

land of the free, home of the brave baptist preachers.

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I think you like to pick on baptists because of how you grew up. You should be more loving towards them like everyone else. Lest you miss the whole point of Matt. 7:12.

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Oh, it's this trolling routine again? Okay.

Every time having prayer in schools, ten commandements, etc. are brought up, it is explained that this means freedom for ALL religions. If we allow one, we much allow all. The people of faith on this board repeatedly say how that is not a problem and they would support that 100%.

This isn't even public land and Christians are throwing an insane fit. Imagine them wanting a Koran passage in the courthouse.

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I think you like to pick on baptists because of how you grew up. You should be more loving towards them like everyone else. Lest you miss the whole point of Matt. 7:12.

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Oh, it's this trolling routine again? Okay.

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Sad you think Jesus' teaching is trolling.

I love the comment "I don't want my children indoctrinated towards their religion". What she really meant was "I don't want anything even slightly getting in the way of my ability to fully indoctrinate my children into my religion".

Classic MQB

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This isn't even public land and Christians are throwing an insane fit. Imagine them wanting a Koran passage in the courthouse.

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Personally, I like the eight 'I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts'.

It is disgusting behavior, especially the threats to desecrate the land with pigs blood, etc.

On the flip side of the coin, if the cemetery is going to be fairly large compared to the size of the town, the town really would probably change to becoming a Muslim destination. I could see that rubbing people the wrong way, especially country folk who have their hearts connected to ancestral land, and have chosen the lifestyle they have for a reason.

Does anyone know the size of the proposed cemetery? Are we talking a couple dozen grave sites, or is the proposal to put in a couple hundred plots? In my mind, from a permitting perspective, those two are very, very different.

In a country where you should have your own say on how to use your own personal land, it shouldn't really matter, but it does. Local municipalities have used permits to keep out Wal-marts and HEBs and other undesirable businesses. This one stinks because of the religious bent, but it is not much different than the stuff that goes on in every city counsel, including the city of College Station.

I think that the city counsel working with the petitioners to keep the cemetery a reasonable size given the location would be in line with how local government works in this country, and would remove the religious freedom aspect from the issue.