Leaders of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro said this summer that breaking ground on their mosque would bring relief after a tumultuous year.

But an August target date slipped past, and a lack of contractor interest led to an extended deadline – still open – for construction companies to offer bids to build the new center.

“It’s not a secret that we could not get the bids that we would hope to get,” said Saleh Sbenaty, a member of the mosque planning committee. “That can be for various reasons. Some contractors are busy … and sometimes you find a contractor who really would like to get the job who is feeling some pressure from the community.”

While contractors remain fiercely competitive when most projects crop up, mosque leaders are left wondering why some companies backed out and never returned calls. It’s their latest frustration after a year of protests and court hearings over the mosque plans.

Sbenaty and fellow board member Essam Fathy said they extended the bidding deadline and have accepted bids from a wider area, including outside of Tennessee.

Going into the bidding process, mosque leaders believed construction companies would be eager to find work amid the economic downturn – and that is the case on most projects, said contractors in Rutherford County.

But market conditions are not the only factor in play. Fathy said one local contractor backed out of the mosque bidding process after describing pressure inside his church. “He was interested and then he actually said, ‘You know what, it’s going to be tough for me to do this job…. The pastor is talking about your outfit almost every week, and it would be very hard for me to take the job’,” Fathy said.

Contractors may also worry about equipment vandalism at the mosque site on Veals Road off Bradyville Pike, where in August 2010 police investigated a suspicious fire that scorched construction gear. Fathy said security cameras will be installed. “Of course, every (contractor) talked about that,” he said. “We need to secure the place.”

Since CNN re-aired a documentary about the mosque this month, Fathy has received emails and calls from across the country, including some contractors interested in the project, he said.

The Tennessean, 14 September 2011

He wanted to grab a meal at one of his favourite Texas burger joints, but what he got was a sick joke about one of the darkest days in U.S. history.

Tarek Ghalayani said he went to Petrol Station, a Houston, Texas, bar on Sunday with a friend to watch the Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game. But when they decided to watch the second half at home, he ordered a burger to go, and was shocked by what came out of the kitchen. Scrawled on the to-go box was a message that read “Happy September 11th” with a plane flying into two towers.

Mr Ghalayani, a Muslim, said he was working near the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, and found the image disturbing. He told ABC 13: “It’s a sad day in this country’s history, where we lost 3,000 innocent lives and I don’t ever think there’s ever going to be a time when that’s OK.”

Mr Ghalayani said he demanded a refund, which he got from the manager – but without an apology or explanation. He also said he could hear someone behind the bar repeating “Allahu Akbar”, an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great”, that has also been heard by Islamic extremists in several terror attacks, including the crash of United Flight 93 outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania on 9/11.

Struck by the eatery’s actions, Mr Ghalayani went home and wrote about his experience on the popular review site Yelp.com. He wrote:

“Within earshot, [the bartender] called my friend and I ‘a**holes’ for complaining about what he clearly thought was funny. Go there if you want a good burger – but know that you’re dealing with people who have no regard for you or what it means to be in this country. Some things are still sacred – and making light of the day that 3,000 innocent people lost their lives and being unapologetic about it is, in my view, a bit much.”

The review sparked a firestorm on social networking sites like Twitter, where it reached the bar’s owner, Ben Fullelove, who said he was not at the bar at the time of the incident. On Monday, the restaurant tweeted: “I am really sorry. Please don’t let this idiot be a reflection of Petrol.”

By that afternoon, the bartender responsible was fired. Mr Fullelove told ABC 13: “I just don’t understand how somebody could think that’s a joke. I mean, it’s not a joke. It’s not how I run my business.”

Later, Mr Fullelove met with Mr Ghalayani personally, and formally apologized, prompting Ghalayani to update his Yelp post. He wrote: “I wanted to update this – I was able to speak to the owner and have a good conversation about my experience at Petrol. He sounded sincere and I appreciated his swift response once he was notified of the issues by the local community.”

Mr Fullelove said his employees would be receiving sensitivity training as a result of the incident.

Daily Mail, 14 September 2011

A Bronx Imam received a partially burnt Koran, delivered in an envelope to his mosque the day before Sept. 11th.

The Imam found the Koran in a brown envelope, which showed up at his mosque on East 198th Street at around noon Saturday. There were also papers inside the envelope covered with cartoon like drawing depicting hatred towards Muslims.

The Imam also found white powder inside the envelope. Tests determined the powder was actually pieces of the burnt Koran.

The incident is being investigated by the hate NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

WABC, 13 September 2011