In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the legal challenge continues regarding the construction of a mosque. After plaintiffs initially argued that Islam is not a religion – a preposterous claim refuted by the Department of Justice – they have moved on to a procedural point: the county, they say, did not give proper notice about the public hearing on the building. Still, they can't seem to resist raising questions about Islam itself.
[M]any of Brandon's questions had nothing to do with procedural issues, and he repeatedly drew objections from lawyers for the county.
"Do you want to know about a direct connection between the Islamic Center and Sharia law, a.k.a. terrorism?" Brandon asked Farley.
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At one point during questioning, Brandon began asking whether Farley supported hanging up a whip in his house as a warning to his wife and then beating her with it.Farley protested that he would never beat his wife.
County attorney Jim Cope objected to the question, saying, "This is a circus."
In response to one of Cope's objections, Chancellor Robert Corlew conceded that Brandon had not established any proof, in four days of testimony dragging over three weeks, that local Muslims were in any way a threat.
