Controversial Tennessee mosque to open

[memphis]

the South is a sick extension of a sick country

Cause there would never be a media circus "controversy" about a mosque opening in New York...

[memphis]

Why do Muslims bother to live in a place like Tennessee anyways? Or for that matter anywhere in the US?

Yeah that's what I'm wondering. Why on earth would a Muslim want to go to Tennnessee, instead of a more diverse place?

Why do we need to ask questions like this? It's their right and they deserve to practice it without question.

-sincerely, a minority who lives in north Idaho.

Well, sure, you have every right to live wherever you want, but I'm just perplexed by the inclination to live in specific areas that are, well, less accommodating to minorities, to be polite. It's like a socially liberal Christian living in Saudi Arabia.

Yes. Suburban Nashville is exactly like Saudi Arabia.

[memphis]

Why do Muslims bother to live in a place like Tennessee anyways? Or for that matter anywhere in the US?

Yeah that's what I'm wondering. Why on earth would a Muslim want to go to Tennnessee, instead of a more diverse place?

Why do we need to ask questions like this? It's their right and they deserve to practice it without question.

-sincerely, a minority who lives in north Idaho.

Well, sure, you have every right to live wherever you want, but I'm just perplexed by the inclination to live in specific areas that are, well, less accommodating to minorities, to be polite. It's like a socially liberal Christian living in Saudi Arabia.

Yes. Suburban Nashville is exactly like Saudi Arabia.

I'm just digging myself into a deeper hole, aren't I? What I'm trying to say is that it's surprising and odd to me to think of a religious minority group living in Tennnessee, when there's places across the US that seem as if they'd be more welcoming.

Why? We have several mosques here in Memphis. There's one a couple miles from me. Another one rents space in a church for their Friday services. It's not that big a deal. I'm Jewish and live in Tennessee. Never had a problem. New York City, on the other hand, seems to be ground zero for the ethnic wars.

[memphis]

Oh fine, I admit it; it is because of my stereotypical mental image of Tennessee as rednecks that it seemed odd that Muslims would live there, and I have been wrong to think about that stereotype as truth. Happy?

The problem is that you're not making a distinction between the country and city mice. I think that you won't find many Muslims or mosque in rural parts of Tennessee (or many other states, for that matter). Murfreesboro is something different all together. It's just another suburban interstate boomtown. Hardly all that different from those poping up in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and other SunBelt locales. Politically conservative, for sure, but much more multicultural that one might initially assume, and the anonoymity of the suburbs fosters a live an let live ethos. It can be somewhat of a novelty to discover that the kids have school friends from all sorts of backgrounds, but outright hostility is a very marginal position. Again, the ethnic wars is much more a way of life in a place like New York City, where the minorities have ceased to be a novel curiousity and instead produce turf wars.

[memphis]

In fairness to PP, isn't it safe to say that Nashville is a particularly cosmopolitan city (culturally at least) compared to most of Tennessee, or even the entire South?

But again, the Ground Zero Mosque experience shows that buttheads are everywhere.

I definately wouldn't call Nashville cosmopolitan, but it is an actual city, which puts it somewhat ahead of most of the South. It votes moderately Democratic only because it's the rare Upper South city with a decent sized black population. It's the headquarters for country music, the Southern Baptists, and the Tennessee state government, all bastions of liberalism You can imagine how the suburbs are there. If you're looking for a Southern city with a more metropolitan feel, I'd recommend Raleigh, Charlotte, or Atlanta. And FWIW, Downtown Chattanooga easily has the best "going out" scene in the state.

[memphis]

In fairness to PP, isn't it safe to say that Nashville is a particularly cosmopolitan city (culturally at least) compared to most of Tennessee, or even the entire South?

But again, the Ground Zero Mosque experience shows that buttheads are everywhere.

I definately wouldn't call Nashville cosmopolitan, but it is an actual city, which puts it somewhat ahead of most of the South. It votes moderately Democratic only because it's the rare Upper South city with a decent sized black population. It's the headquarters for country music, the Southern Baptists, and the Tennessee state government, all bastions of liberalism You can imagine how the suburbs are there. If you're looking for a Southern city with a more metropolitan feel, I'd recommend Raleigh, Charlotte, or Atlanta. And FWIW, Downtown Chattanooga easily has the best "going out" scene in the state.

Meh, at least Brentwood tries to be cosmopolitan. There are some fusion Asian places in Brentwood that are actually pretty good. Of course Murfreesboro and the other suburban areas of Nashville like Hendersonville, Gallatin and the like are a different sort of place. I live in between Brentwood and the Nolensville Pike area, which looks a little run down, but is filled with immigrants from all over leading to many good food choices at decent prices. It's not bad at all.

Don't take it personally. People from Memphis love to talk trash on Nashville. And vice versa. And Williamson County is obviously the premier suburban area, just like Germantown and Collierville are here.