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But we begin tonight "Keeping Them Honest," with efforts to stop a mosque. We're not talking about the proposed mosque and Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero here in New York, but a mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Muslim in -- Muslims in the town have asked federal agents to be on site during services, after the FBI says it has reason to believe that someone deliberately burned construction vehicles this weekend on the planned site of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro.
A spokeswoman for the mosque says they're scared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMIE AYASH, SPOKESWOMAN, ISLAMIC CENTER OF MURFREESBORO: And it's very hard to explain to children what's going on. It's very hard to explain to the little kids, you know, when they ask you, mommy, are these people for us or against us? It -- it's just -- it's really taken a toll on the community.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Well, there's been a moving in Murfreesboro in one form or another for some 30 years, and a spokeswoman says the existing one is simply too small.
So, this is what they got approval to build, where that suspected arson took place this weekend, that's the plan: a ball field, a playground, a burial ground, parking lots, walking paths, and a mosque.
As for the money to build it, organizers say on the center's Web site that 95 percent of it is from local donations. As for the opposition, people have defaced and destroyed signs at the mosque. They have railed against it, rallied against it. The message that you can see on the sign says "Not welcome," and now what appears to be arson.
During a recent "700 Club" segment titled "Mega-Mosque Nation," Pat Robertson singled out the Murfreesboro center. He said he's not in favor of cities stopping churches from being built or other restrictions on freedom of religion, but he said this is not really about religion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE 700 CLUB WITH PAT ROBERTSON")
PAT ROBERTSON, HOST, "THE 700 CLUB": You mark my word, if they start brings thousands and thousands of Muslims into that relatively rural area, the next thing you know, they're going to be taking over the city council. Then they're going to be having an ordinance that -- that calls for public prayer five times a day.
Then they're going to be having ordinances that they will have be facilities for foot-washing in all the public restrooms and all the -- the airport facilities, et cetera, et cetera. And, before long, they're going to demand, demand, demand, demand, and, little by little, the citizens of Murfreesboro or whatever little town it is are going to be cowed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Mr. Robertson goes on to warn against Muslims' ability to -- quote -- "bribe folks to buy influence. I don't know if anyone's getting a payoff," he adds, "but it is entirely possible."
The imagery is of strange others infiltrating, invading, then somehow subverting the heartland.
Laurie Cardoza-Moore, who has spearheaded opposition to the mosque expansion in Murfreesboro, uses similar terms. In that same "700 Club" segment, she offers this explanation of why Muslims in Murfreesboro want to expand their mosque -- quote -- "You have Bible book publishers. You have Christian book publishers. You have Christian music headquartered here. The radical Islamic extremists have stated that they are still fighting the Crusaders, and they see this as the capital of the Crusaders."
Laurie Cardoza-Moore on "The 700 Club" earlier this month. As I said, she's a spokeswoman for Murfreesboro mosque opposition. I spoke to her earlier tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: I want to show our viewers something that you -- you recently said at a demonstration here -- here in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURIE CARDOZA-MOORE, PRESIDENT, PROCLAIMING JUSTICE TO THE NATIONS: In Tennessee, like in many communities, we are witnessing a rise of radical Islamic groups -- groups who are bent on building these compounds to further their radical agenda. Many local and county officials across the nation are being fooled into believing that these are just religious structures for worship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: This mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, what evidence do you have the imam, who has condemned Hamas to the Christian Broadcasting Network and Hezbollah, to the vast majority of Muslims who have practiced there for years and years, what evidence do you have that they are recruiting or fomenting terror?
CARDOZA-MOORE: In the past, there hasn't been a problem.
But, Anderson, with the recent statement by Mosaad Rawash on his MySpace page gives rise to huge concern in our community.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Again, which he was -- which he was removed from the board for and then investigated apparently by the mosque.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: I -- I don't know the details of that. But -- but what somebody...
CARDOZA-MOORE: He was investigated by the mosque.
COOPER: Somebody -- what is on somebody's -- what is somebody's -- what is on somebody's MySpace page and what they -- you know, I don't know -- we don't know details of that, who put it on there. They say he was investigated by the mosque. You say he's still being investigated.
That's somebody who is on the board of this thing. What evidence do you have that this mosque is somehow -- how many people have they converted to radical Islam and sent overseas to foment terror?
CARDOZA-MOORE: I think there's a lapse in judgment by the leadership to implement a board member or to -- to reinstate a board member who made statements like that to kill Jews.
If they are trying to bring peace, and this is the religion of peace, that doesn't sound like the religion of peace to me, Anderson. I'm sorry. It's a threat to the community, not just the Jewish community or the Christian community. It's the Muslim community, too. What about the women?
COOPER: So, can Muslims be good citizens?
CARDOZA-MOORE: Of course. There are many Muslims who are good citizens. I -- my concern is not with the good citizens. Mine is the -- those who are pursuing a radical agenda.
COOPER: But why not pursue those who you say are pursuing a radical agenda...
CARDOZA-MOORE: That's -- that's all we're doing.
COOPER: ... and allow them to have a mosque where they can -- and allow the vast majority of the population in your town to have a mosque where they can worship?
CARDOZA-MOORE: We don't have a problem with that. We want the ones that have ties...
COOPER: So, you don't have a problem with a mosque being built?
CARDOZA-MOORE: No. We don't want...
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: What I'm saying is, why not allow a mosque to be built, and go after specific individuals, if you have evidence against them?
(CROSSTALK)
CARDOZA-MOORE: Not if they have board members who are tied to radical extremist groups. Not only should they not build a mosque. They should...
COOPER: So, why don't -- why don't you gather evidence against that board member and allow the -- the mosque itself...
CARDOZA-MOORE: We have. We have gathered evidence.
And the -- and the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department and Homeland Security and FBI are continuing to conduct the -- the investigation.
COOPER: So, what should Muslims in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, do to worship? I mean, if -- if they -- if they can't build the mosques that they want, what -- what -- what are you telling them to do?
CARDOZA-MOORE: They have -- Anderson, they have a mosque. Nobody's saying that they can't -- this is not about religion.
COOPER: But they say they don't -- they don't have enough room. They are saying they don't -- they are saying they don't have enough room and they would like to expand their mosque. CARDOZA-MOORE: That's fine. But you know something? There's got to be -- there has to be some due diligence done on the associations -- associations and the ties of the leaders. That is what we're calling into question.
We have done the research, and now we want to -- we're asking questions. Why was this guy reinstated? Why was he on their board in the first place, if they have moderate views?
COOPER: So, your sole opposition -- your sole opposition to the mosque is the fact that this board member had something on his MySpace page?
CARDOZA-MOORE: Yes, his MySpace page and Dr. Bahloul for teaching at a mosque in Irving, Texas, that is under investigation for terrorist-related activities.
COOPER: OK. So, now -- so, there's two reasons why you're opposed to this mosque, one, because the imam of this mosque used to preach at another mosque that you say is under investigation, and -- and because a board member had something on his MySpace page?
CARDOZA-MOORE: Yes, most certainly.
COOPER: That's the sole -- that's -- that's it?
CARDOZA-MOORE: That's enough. That is enough.
It's not about their religion. It never has been. It's about stopping the advancement of radical Islam in the United States of America and in our community.
COOPER: Laurie Cardoza-Moore, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
CARDOZA-MOORE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Some strong allegations about the mosque imam and one of its board members there. Right after we finished taping the interview, we made some calls.
First, we got in touch with a local reporter who has been covering the story. He confirms that the board member in question, Mosaad Rawash, was investigated by the FBI because of allegations about statements on a MySpace page. No charges, however, were ever brought, and he was reinstated by the mosque.
And then we contacted the FBI about Ms. Cardoza-Moore's allegation that a mosque in Irving, Texas, where the Murfreesboro imam was once a visiting cleric is or was under investigation by the FBI for terrorism-related activities. Actually, she said it is currently under investigation.
The source we spoke to was unaware of the allegations about the mosque in Irving, was not aware of what Ms. Cardoza-Moore was talking about.
Joining us now is a spokeswoman for the Murfreesboro Islamic Center, Camie Ayash.
Camie, thanks for being with us.
What do you make of what she says? I mean, basically, she's saying that your mosque is sort of a hotbed of extremism, that -- that a member of your board -- first of all, let's start with the member of your board. Why was he reinstated as a member of the board, if questions were raised about something on his MySpace page?
AYASH: Well, when the questions were raised, I want -- I want you to understand, we took those allegations very seriously. We did suspend him from any privileges, you know, at the mosque.
We turned this over to local and federal authorities. Both -- he was cleared by both, local and federal authorities, and so, therefore, he was reinstated.
COOPER: Do you know what it was on the MySpace page? I mean, she was saying that he was making statements against Jews and about jihad.
AYASH: She -- a lot of her allegations are -- are incorrect.
I -- I'm not sure exactly what was on his MySpace page. It was deleted right after he was accused of these things, because he was so worried about his reputation. She set out to slander him, I do believe.
The FBI, though, and local authorities investigated his MySpace page thoroughly, and they found absolutely no links to terrorism.
COOPER: She also says that the imam at your mosque was once a visiting professor at a mosque in Irving, Texas, that she claims is still under FBI investigation. Our source at the FBI says they don't know what she's talking about.
Who -- I mean, is -- is your imam -- my understanding is that he has renounced Hamas and Hezbollah off-camera to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Where in the -- in the spectrum of Islam, where does he stand? How -- I mean, is he radical?
AYASH: He is absolutely not radical. He comes from Cairo, Egypt. He attended Al-Azhar University in Cairo, which, you know, is probably...
COOPER: Which, by the way, she -- she -- I mean, it's a prestigious university. She says it's a hotbed of anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism.
AYASH: Yes, it's a very prestigious university. It could be compared with Harvard here in the United States.
A lot of her allegations are -- are completely false. He is one of the most respected members in our community. He absolutely does not condone -- or he does not approve of any type of terrorist activity. Like I said, he's one of the most respected members in our community.
COOPER: How long has this mosque, has your mosque been in -- in operation in Murfreesboro?
AYASH: We have had members here for almost 30 years. And for her to just now jump in and start making accusations, it's completely ludicrous.
COOPER: So, in the last -- in the 30 years you have had members -- and I guess you've been in your current location for how long?
AYASH: We have been in that current location since the mid-'90s.
COOPER: OK.
So, whether it's at your current location or -- I mean, in your history, your 30-year history, here in this town, have you had good relations with the people in -- in -- in Murfreesboro?
AYASH: We have had wonderful relationships with all of our neighbors in Murfreesboro.
To me, it seems like she's the extremist at this point. She's the one going around the United States, lobbying against Islamic centers throughout all of the United States. It's not just the ones in Murfreesboro. So, to me, she's the one who is terrorizing our community. She's trying to plant doubt and fear within our community.
Since she's began the campaign, it seems as though it's working with some of those. But, you know, I have to point out that Murfreesboro is such a great place. A lot of times, within the media, you just see the opposition. But the amount of support that we have received is tremendous.
This really has been a dark cloud, but it has a huge, huge silver lining. And we're so thankful to everyone who supported us.
COOPER: You know, you saw the thing that Pat Robertson said, basically implying that kind of you guys want to build this big mosque, so then you kind of bring in thousands of Muslims, I'm not sure from where, who are then going to take over the city council and cow the people of Murfreesboro.
Why do you want to build a bigger mosque?
AYASH: Right now, our current facility is about 2,200 square foot, Anderson. It cannot accommodate -- we have over 1,000 members. We have about 250 families, but when you add in children and wives, it's -- it's over 1,000 members. You cannot squeeze us into that -- into that facility anymore. We're kind of packed in there.
We're not trying to build a mega-mosque, either. When we submitted plans to the -- to the city, what we tried to do is share our vision of the future with the city. The actual first phase one is around 6,800 square foot. That's very small in comparison with a lot of local churches there.
COOPER: In terms of where this goes from here, I mean, you have asked for police protection. Are you getting police protection now at the site?
AYASH: We are getting police protection. I think it's very sad that we have to ask for police protection. We're the ones that's being terrorized, and she's the one accusing us of being -- having terrorist activities.
COOPER: The other...
AYASH: To set someone -- go ahead.
COOPER: Sorry.
The other thing she says is that, at some point, someone at your mosque was handing out pamphlets that were made out by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamist organization which is outlawed in Egypt, where it was born, but is -- is popular in Egypt and -- and elsewhere.
I mean, are you guys affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in any way?
AYASH: We're not affiliated with anyone. And the comment she made is -- is a lie, to be honest with you.
COOPER: So, there was -- there was no pamphlet being handed out produced by the Muslim Brotherhood?
AYASH: Absolutely not. I can say 100 percent that's a lie.
COOPER: And -- and do you -- in terms of where -- you know, people who are -- you know, she's making allegations with a very broad brush about Islam. Where are you in the spectrum of -- I mean, what -- what branch of Islam are you? What are you -- what are you practicing?
AYASH: Well, we practice Islam. I'm not really clear on your question.
COOPER: Sorry. Are you Sunni, Shia?
AYASH: Yes, Sunni.
COOPER: OK, Sunni.
And -- and what happens now? I mean, you've gotten approval to build this. Are you going to go ahead and build this, despite, you know, what's going on?
AYASH: Absolutely. Like I said, the supporters that are behind us far outnumber those who are opposed to us. We feel very good about our neighbors. We feel good that they're trying to support us. And we really don't want to focus on the negativity of those who try to become vigilantes and take the law into their own hands and set fire to equipment and threaten us, things like that.
So, absolutely, we plan on moving forward.
COOPER: I have got to go, but final question. The funding for this, you say on your Web site, 95 percent of it is going to come from -- from local residents. The opposition says, you know, many mosques in the United States get funding from Saudi Arabia.
Are you receiving international funding? Will you? And -- and, if so, will you be transparent about where your funding comes from?
AYASH: We're completely transparent. We have an open-door policy. We invite anyone with questions or concerns to come to us.
Ninety-five percent, probably 98 percent of all funding comes from within our congregation. Since all of this starred up, we did start accepting donations from the United States only. We're being very, very careful about where donations are coming from.
So -- but, absolutely, completely transparent.
COOPER: Camie Ayash, appreciate you being on. Thank you very much.
AYASH: Thank you so much.
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