Joplin, MO Rallies to Rebuild its Burned Mosque

I have previously noted the response my home town of Joplin, MO has demonstrated in the wake of the burning of the local mosque, the only one in a 50 mile radius, in posts here and here.

While I don't want to overemphasize this story because of my personal link to the place, I think it's an encouraging sign at a time when opposition to the building of mosques is getting a lot of attention in the US and Europe; here, in the heart of the Bible Belt, are local citizens who have rallied to raise money to rebuild the mosque, with the Christian churches and the one synagogue joining in and one of the organizers coming from the local Bible college, who arranged a "Neighbors" rally last Saturday. A clip from that rally:


The story has been picked up many places; here's a piece from Al Jazeera, and another from a peace group. More links are to be found on the Islamic Society of Joplin's Facebook page. While I'm angry and ashamed that the arson could occur in my hometown, I'm delighted at the response of the people there, responding as they did to last year's devastating tornado, to stand up for their neighbors.