This could happen only in TEX-ASS
KTRK/KATY, TX
There's an awful lot of exciting news when you round the corner on Baker Road. One of two big yellow signs announces a new neighbor is coming soon.
K.I. A., that's the Katy Islamic Association, plan to build a mosque here.
"It's not an appropriate place to have a mosque or church," said resident Barbara Simpson.
It isn't going over real well.
"As a house of worship, they shouldn't be disturbing the peace and tranquility of 15 homes," said resident John Wetmore.
Neighbors tell us they're concerned about traffic and drainage and a little fear of the unknown. Some of the homeowners even offered to buy the land back for more than a million dollars. The K.I.A. doesn't seem very interested in the offers.
So it seems the community at the end of Baker Road has a pretty good fight. But this fight has gone much farther than many between two neighbors. You see in these fights, sometimes neighbors throw mud at one another. In this instance, they're wallowing in it.
Craig Baker owns pigs. He's the guy behind the second big yellow sign on Baker Road. That's the one announcing Friday night pig races.
Sure can. But aren't pigs on the property line racing on a Friday night a little offensive to a Muslim neighbor?
"The meat of a pig is prohibited in the religion of Islam," said Katy Islamic Association member Youssof Allam. "It's looked upon as a dirty creature."
Yeah, there's that and also that Friday night is a Muslim holy day.
"That is definitely a slap in the face," said Allam..
Now before you go thinking Craig Baker is unfair, or full of hate, or somehow racist, hear him out.
Baker has long roots here. His family named the road and when the new neighbors moved in, he tells us, they asked him to move out.
"Basically that I should package up my family and my business and find a place elsewhere," said Baker. "That's ridiculous, they just bought the place one week prior and he's telling me I should think about leaving."
That new owners deny they ever said anything like that, but Baker isn't budging.
Baker admits the pigs are a message he is not leaving.
The 11-acre property is sandwiched between a pricey subdivision and Craig Baker's business.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?se...cal&id=4808968
Texans are just so damned open-minded. This is the same state that seems to think they should fly the Texas state flag as high as they do the American flag. For some reason that is totally beyond me, people here are Texans first and Americans second.
...and when a church in Monte Vista wanted to build an additional parking lot, the residents did everything they could to prevent it...and when a quarry wanted to move into the Hill Country surrounding Helotes in the mid '80's the residents banded together, and those reddest of Republicans used environmental laws to keep them out; recently fought off Wal-Mart in much the same way.
People do what they got to do; VERY funny how he's chosen to do it.
I would put them on equal footing, probably.
When American includes Ca. and Ma, can you blame them for associating closely with Texas. People up here in Pa are AMAZED at Texas pride when they visit; they don't understand it either, but most envy it, frankly.
Yeah, but this is a mosque. Have you ever been to a mosque? They are the cleanest, nicest, quietest places of worship that I've ever been to in my life, and I've been to quite a few. They are never huge structures that dominate the area (Cornerstone Church), and the people that worship there know full well that they aren't the most welcomed people in an American society that is filled with 50% of the people thinking that if you're a Muslim then you're obviously a terrorist. They aren't going to cause trouble, these people are just scared of something they don't understand.
You think it's envy? I don't. That's just my opinion though, and after reading Spurstalk for this long, God knows my opinion isn't near as mainstream as I once thought it was.
A truism, and it doesn't just apply to Texans.
I would say people are becoming more and more alarmed at the level of Muslim penetration in the "Western" world, in general. They are now beginning to hold there own "courts" of a sort, in England.
Muslim societies are QUITE different from ours here - that cannot be denied; and Muslims don't assimilate into ours like previous immigrants. Seeing the aforementioned happenings in England, and the riots in France - coupled with the extreme regimes depicted on the news, trepidation is, frankly, understandable. Education and familiarity are probably in order, and will most likely help the situation. BUT, as long as terrorists all come from the ranks of "Muslims", there WILL be tension. Mormon temples, btw, are treated in similar ways, btw.
Quietest? Except when they put speakers outside and make their calls
for worship five times a day. Go to the ME and see how quite it is.
And nothing says they wont put speakers outside.
Katy Code of Ordinances, Sec. 7.502, Clause (3) says they won't.
The Texas Neighborhood Abatement Act also says they won't.
What have the federal courts said tho. And that maybe who makes the
final decision.
I just cant wait until they go to court to force the farmer off his land with
his pigs. And they will. Bet on it.
Thank you.
You're absolutely right, it doesn't apply to just Texans, that was a dumb thing to say on my part.
The shame about education and familiarity being necessary is that the public school system probably (I say probably because I don't know for sure) won't touch the subject of Islamic, Christian or any other religious education for that matter. People just learn what there dumbass parents tell them, ie, Terrorists that flew 9/11 planes were Muslims, therefore, all Muslims are terrorists.
As far as terrorists being mainly Islamic, it's amazing how fast we as Americans forget about the Timothy McVeigh's and Ted Kazinski's (sp) of the world.
If somebody wanted to build a "Christian" church on that lot, silence.
So many macho assholes like to say stuff like "I defend the Cons ution" or "you and I reserve the right to practice our religion and I'll fight to the death to defend that right" except when I personally don't like/agree with your religion. hypocrits.
Holy , I agree with Boutons.
Certainly haven't forgotten OKC - and have refenenced that in recent posts, but got tired of putting discliamers on every post about who are the terrorists.
Bottom line:
Radical Muslims: a whole bunch worldwide
Idiot American nutjobs seeking revenge for Waco: 1 (until proven otherwise)
Again, you're right, but I was just trying to point out that not every terrorist is a Muslim. In fact, terrorist action within our borders have been more numerous (perhaps not as devistating) but more numerous from those that have no affiliation with Islam.
BUT, back to the original point of this thread, and I actually think Boutons said it best (I hate admitting that), but we are so hypocritical about stuff like this and I think he's right, if it was a Christian church, there would be no complaints.
However, I still believe in profiling in regards to terrorist action, so I'm all for bugging said mosque, so maybe I'm hypocritical as well.
If you bug the mosque, you'll need a translator that can be trusted. Use your imagination. Build a synagogue tall enough to block the spiritual path to Mecca. That may create another problem, however. To keep the jews in line, elect David Duke as mayor and throw in a Aryan headquarters for good measure. To keep skinheads in line you'll need some Black Panthers. After the scrimmage is over, the pigs will rule again.
Are these Katy Muslims American citizens?
My guess would be yes. They've already hired a mexican crew to do the landscaping.
Houston has a HUGE muslim population. Katy is a stones throw away so I'm not sure why these people are so up in arms.
Drive a ways out Hillcroft and you hit the South Asian neighborhoods. LOTS of Pakistanis live down there. Many of them are doctors, lawyers, scientists, and such.
Got a good friend up in H-Town who is just that. Very successful and would do anything for a friend.
Damn, that is FUNNY. I live in Katy and my house is almost 30 miles from downtown Houston. First, Katy proper is about as opposite as Houston as you can get. Most is still rural in atmosphere, everyone lives for Katy Tigers football and wears Aggie baseball caps. If you are talking about the Katy area, especially south of I-10 where the majority of the county that is considered "Katy" is located, it is very WASPy and very expensive. Katy Taylor, Seven Lakes and Cinco Ranch high schools all boast somewhere around 75-80% white kids.
IF Baker Road is where I think it is, the only thing those people have in common with the city of Houston would be those that live in Royal Oaks or Memorial. A mosque would definitely be seen as out of place in that neighborhood, especially when there is the extremely high chance that the congregants of said mosque would not be local to the neighborhood or surrounding communities.
That is not to say that the appropriateness of their endeavor breaks any laws, but it is ironic that they select proporty in a rich WASP neighborhood on one side and a pig farm on the other, then allegedly want to shut down the pig farm.
btw, the muslim population in Houston is around 50K, or about 1% of the Houston MSA. Buddhists in Houston number about the same amount. Not sure I would call that a "huge" presence, albeit their presence is very visible.
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