Bullitt County residents applaud rejection of cemetery planRarely has a simple 10-acre tract of land so united a community.

But the staunch opposition to a proposed Islamic cemetery near the eastern edge of Mount Washington wasn't as uncomplicated as it appeared.

Strongly voiced objections on religious grounds were numerous at a recent meeting of the county board of adjustments, but they were hardly the only reasons residents on and around Hubbard Lane wanted to stop the plan.

Residents said they were concerned about:

• Increased traffic on Hubbard Lane.

• Possible vandalism of the cemetery from those who oppose Islam's presence in Bullitt.

• Kids having to ride their bikes past a cemetery when there are no other cemeteries in the immediate area.

• Groundwater safety and other environmental issues.

The board by a 5-1 vote rejected the conditional-use change from "agricultural" in the unincorporated area of Bullitt County. The sale to the St. Matthews-based Louisville Islamic Center was contingent upon the change.

The Islamic center last week decided not to appeal and will look for cemetery land elsewhere.

"The overwhelming sentiment of the crowd was a little bit disheartening," said Ozair Sharif, a Louisville attorney and board member of the Islamic center.

Romona Stout recalled moving onto Hubbard Lane 42 years ago when it was just a gravel road. "You cannot hardly pass with two cars, it is a lane. To have a cemetery in a residential neighborhood, it bothers me. I don't have nothing against the Islamic religion, it's not that. It's not."

But for others, it clearly was.

"Why would you want to go where you're not wanted?" asked Len Hardy Sr., who was admonished at the podium for turning around and talking to Islamic center representatives and not zoning board members. "Seems to be, you're looking for a dumping ground, and I don't like it."

Sharon Foley of Oak Creek Drive told the board, "Our country was founded on Christian principles. Thousands and thousands of American men and women for their freedom of religion."

She lives with her 90-year-old father, who served in the Marines. She called the proposed Islamic cemetery a slap in his face, "given the incidents of the past 11 years," she said, referring to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Courier-Journal, 27 February 2013

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After residents voiced strong opposition to a proposed Islamic cemetery in a rural part of unincorporated Bullitt County Thursday night, the county's Board of Adjustments voted 4-1 to deny the request to loud applause from the crowd of more than 110.

The Louisville Islamic Center had requested a conditional-use zoning change to buy 10 acres of land near Mount Washington and build a cemetery. The land is currently zoned agricultural.

Some residents cited traffic concerns on narrow Hubbard Lane and expressed no malice to the Islamic faith.

Others expressed concern about environmental issues associated with Islamic burial traditions, which typically involve no caskets or vaults. Some feared vandalism from those opposed to Islam.

Several told the board the board the United States was built on Christian principles and that the Islamic Center should go where it is more welcome.

Courier-Journal, 15 February 2013

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Suspected Jewish extremists scrawled anti-Arab graffiti on the headstones in an ancient Muslim cemetery in west Jerusalem, police and witnesses told AFP on Thursday.

"The words 'price tag' and Stars of David were scrawled on around a dozen tombs in the Muslim cemetery in Mamilla in central Jerusalem," a police spokeswoman told AFP, saying an inquiry had been opened.

An AFP correspondent at the scene said the vandals had also written "Mohammed is dead" and "Maale Rehavam" on the tombs some of which date back to the 12th century.

Price tag is a euphemism for hate crimes carried out by Israeli extremists which generally target Palestinians or Arabs and their property.

Such incident often take place in retaliation for Israeli government moves to dismantle unauthorised settler outposts, with Thursday's vandalism apparently linked to the removal of six caravans from the Maale Rehavam outpost in the southern West Bank a day earlier. The move sparked angry protests by settlers and their supporters in and around Jerusalem.

There have been several attacks on Mamilla graveyard, known in Arabic as Ma'man Allah cemetery, which dates from the 12th century and is the resting place of several Sufi saints.

Descendants of those interred in the west Jerusalem cemetery say it also houses the remains of soldiers and officials of legendary Muslim ruler Saladin.

AFP, 14 February 2013

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Several headstones at a cemetery in Evergreen Park were found desecrated with anti-Muslim graffiti this week, and Chicago's Muslim community is shocked.

The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago reported Friday morning that the graffiti had been scrawled on several graves at the Evergreen Cemetery, at 3401 W. 87th St. in Evergreen Park.

The group says a Palestinian-American man went to pay respects to his deceased father at the cemetery, and was horrified to see several Muslim graves desecrated.

"The Southwest Side has been home to a large Muslim and Arab American population for over 30 years; it is shocking to find such hatred, especially at a cemetery", council associate director Ahlam Jbara said in a news release.

The council posted photos of the graffiti on its Web site. Family markers were desecrated with ethnic slurs directed at Muslims and words that insulted the prophet Muhammad.

Some of the graffiti was also accompanied by gang symbols, including the six-pointed star and pitchforks of the Folk Nation – an alliance of several gangs – and a message reading, "Folks bitch."

Evergreen Park police said they had "no information" on whether there would be extra patrols following the incident.

The council pointed out that this latest incident comes on the heels of two attacks or acts of vandalism directed at Muslim institutions.

This past Sunday night, the College Preparatory School of America, an Islamic school at 331 W. Madison St. in Lombard, was subjected to vandalism. The council says someone hurled a 7-Up bottle filled with acid and other unspecified materials at the school during the nighttime Ramadan prayers.

During the prayer session, worshipers heard a loud bang and went to find an empty bottle thrown on the window of the school. No one was injured. And a week ago, air rifle shots were fired at a mosque in north suburban Morton Grove.

In response to the incidents, the council is planning a flash mob action against hate and Islamophobia at 5 p.m. Friday, at Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway.

CBS Chicago, 17 August 2012

See also "Hate graffiti sprayed on Muslim graves in Illinois", CAIR press release, 17 August 2012

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The grave of one of the London bombers has been vandalised along with others in a cemetery in Leeds. The plot holding the remains of Hasib Hussain at Cottingley Cemetery was damaged and had racist graffiti scrawled on it.

A number of graves in the Muslim section were damaged, prompting increased police patrols. Headstones were pulled over and offensive expressions scratched on to the stonework.

BBC News, 15 June 2012

Muslim graves in Cottingley Cemetery have been targeted by racists before, in April 2007.

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