WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Nasser Omer is an accountant, husband, and father of two grown kids. This Indian-American is also a devout Muslim and as such, he tries to get to his nearest mosque as often as possible to pray. <\/p>\n
NASSER OMER: For Muslim men, it is mandatory to pray five times a day in congregation. That is the reason we need to go to the mosque. <\/p>\n
WILLIAM BRANGHAM:Omer lives in Kennesaw, Georgia, a rural community of about 30,000. Its just over 25 miles northwest of Atlanta. a quiet town one where confederate flags fly freely. There are at least 40 churches in Kennesaw but no mosque, so Omer one of perhaps a hundred Muslims in town has to drive to the neighboring town of Marietta where there are a couple mosques. <\/p>\n
How far is the nearest mosque for you to go to now? <\/p>\n
OMER NASSER: Its about ten miles from here. And it takes about 30 minutes from my home to the mosque, one way. After the prayers, again, 30 minutes to come back. <\/p>\n
WILLIAM BRANGHAM:A few months ago, Omer and a few other Muslim families decided theyd like to open their own small mosque in their own town. They found this strip mall it had multiple vacancies, the price was right and so they filed the paperwork to open a small storefront mosque right here. This Pentecostal Church had done something very similar a few months before. To help them with the process, they enlisted a local Muslim community leader Amjad Taufique hed helped set-up another mosque in Marietta. <\/p>\n
So, why does Kennesaw need a mosque? <\/p>\n
AMJAD TAUFIQUE: Well, I mean, Muslims try to make it five times a day to the mosque and in this day and age, its a little difficult to be there five times a day. But usually, if you are close enough five, ten minutes drive you can go there early in the morning prayers, in the evening prayers at least. And you build up the community. <\/p>\n
WILLIAM BRANGHAM:At first, the application process was routine. The zoning board okd the idea, but as word got out about the proposed mosque, some opponents showed up in force at the next planning commission meeting. Cris Eaton Welsh who thinks the mosque should be approved sits on the Kennesaw City Council. <\/p>\n
CRIS EATON-WELSH: From my understanding, there were over 200 people that showed up to the meeting, and there <\/p>\n
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Freedom of religion? Mosque debate in Georgia town reveals sharp divide<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Nasser Omer is an accountant, husband, and father of two grown kids. This Indian-American is also a devout Muslim and as such, he tries to get to his nearest mosque as often as possible to pray Continue reading