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JENNIFER LIBERTOA Baptist pastor and some supporters accuse county officials of supporting terrorism by attending a forum on Islam.
BROOKSVILLE - A taste of the crusades broke out at the Hernando County Commission meeting Tuesday when a local Baptist pastor accused county leaders of supporting terrorism by attending a private, educational forum on Islam last month.
The Rev. Mike Frazier of Landmark Baptist Church in Brooksville and a flock of supporters accused County Commissioners Nancy Robinson and Diane Rowden of embracing terrorism by going to an educational event sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit Muslim advocacy and civil rights group.
As commissioners started to respond to the accusations, the group, mostly members of the church, chanted: "terrorists, terrorists," until Robinson asked for quiet.
"I'm totally in awe by the kind of comments I've heard come from citizen comment that are against our Muslim communities," Rowden started to say before the chanting interrupted her. "These are our doctors and our nurses."
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations sponsored a dinner at the Palace Grand Ballroom in Spring Hill on Aug. 25, inviting at least a dozen elected government officials - from Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, to Brooksville Mayor Mary Staib - to learn more about the county's Muslims and their practices.
About 100 people, including Muslim doctors and other professionals throughout the Tampa Bay area, attended the invitation-only forum. Most of the event was dedicated to debunking myths about Islam.
CAIR has sponsored dozens of similar forums throughout the state for medical professionals, teachers and law enforcement. The Spring Hill forum was geared toward government officials, said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for Florida CAIR.
"It was an educational event, because let's face it, these people have busy lives and they hold key positions," Bedier said. "With so much misinformation out there, we were trying to educate elected officials and provide them with true and accurate information."
Bedier said he wasn't surprised that another religious organization would launch an allegation against a Muslim organization in a public forum.
"Don't underestimate the rhetoric, because that can cause damage, the followers of that person or that church, it could lead them to cause a hate crime - rhetoric can be very dangerous," Bedier said.
During the August event, the county's Muslim community gave out small plaques to Robinson, Sheriff Richard Nugent and state Rep. David Russell, R-Brooksville, for reaching out to local Muslims during stressful times after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Frazier demanded that government officials "return the awards and denounce terrorism."
Another member of his group, Chip Gripton, compared local government leaders' actions in attending the event to committing treason against the United States.
"You supported and comforted an enemy of the United States," Gripton said.
Rose Rocco, a recently failed Republican County Commission candidate, questioned county commissioners for mixing "government and church."
"I've an issue with CAIR having a private party and inviting dignitaries; that should have been done in a public forum," she said.
However, Rowden and Robinson said the CAIR event was not unlike any other private dinner or forum held by any religious or social group.
"I have numerous awards that I get from various other groups, some may be religious oriented," Robinson said. "I say thank you for every one, because I'm doing my job and I'm representing the best interests of Hernando County."
Frazier said he represented himself at the commission meeting, not Landmark Baptist church.
But several people from his church said their biggest concern is not with Muslims but with the group CAIR, which they accused of having links to terrorist groups, citing an unsubstantiated claim lodged before a U.S. Senate panel in 2003. The federal government has not levied any terrorism-type charges against CAIR in court.
Bedier denied any terrorist ties and said CAIR is funded through membership association fees and spends all its money within the United States. The organization does not raise money to send overseas, Bedier said.
Local Muslims said they were disheartened but not all that shocked by anti-Muslim comments made at the County Commission meeting.
"It's 9/11 backlash. This is slander," said Dr. Adel Eldin, who was also at the August forum.
"The accusations are inappropriate and shouldn't be happening from another church; that's unprofessional. The Muslim community in Hernando is trying to live a better life and give back to the community."
Jennifer Liberto can be reached at 352 848-1434 or liberto@sptimes.com