Lesson 3, #3

Maxim Kireev wrote an article called Moscow Has a Ground Zero Mosque Controversy Too on the ABC news site and the article is about Moscow’s Muslim community requiring a religious Mosque to be built near a park. Moscow has 1.5 million Muslims living in their country and the Muslims want to expand their faith in their hometown. Residents in Tekstilshchiki dislike the idea of Moscow willing to allow the Mosque to be expanded in their hometown. The park was formed as a barrier for people who currently live in Tekstilshchiki. People are afraid of the Muslim religion. Recently, Moscow was attacked by Islamic guerrillas with a bomb that killed 40 people. Numerous people are frightened from the many events that happened because of Muslims and their religion. It has started to cause people to set themselves separate from Muslims. In Tekstilshciki, people claim that they want to prevent Moscow from building the Mosque in order to protect their country’s land. Around 300 residents of Tekstilshchiki formed an organization to fight against the construction on the park. The leader of the organization claims that the group of residents wants to keep their park alive, and that they are not against the Mosque. Nobody knows for the sure if organization is against Muslims or if they just wanted to protect their park. The Moscow Mufti council is in charge for building the mosque and feels that something bad will happen if the Muslims do not get what they want. Moscow is scared to confront the Muslim community and because of that fear they are willing to give that community anything they require.