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Old 09-24-2007, 01:08 AM
 
Location: Michigan
29,391 posts, read 55,503,961 times
Reputation: 22043

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COOKEVILLE -- In less than 24 hours, a sign placed at the Putnam County Courthouse last week wishing a peaceful holiday season to members of the Muslim and Jewish communities was stolen in what one local activist is calling a hate crime.
Both the Jewish and Muslim communities recently began their observance of Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan, respectfully, but the theft has activist Diane Paul calling for more religious toleration in the Cookeville community.

According to Paul, who helped place the sign outside the Putnam County Courthouse, the message behind the sign was simple -- peace. The top read "Ramadan Mubarak to the Muslim members of our community," meaning essentially to have a good Ramadan, and "L'Shanah Tovah to the Jewish members of our community," which Paul said meant happy New Year.

"I was quite surprised that it was removed so quickly," Paul said, pointing out that she was not speaking for either the Jewish or Muslim community. "There would be no reason other than religious intolerance and discrimination to cut down such a sign, so I believe it would follow under the hate crime statute."

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Old 09-24-2007, 06:21 AM
 
Location: Somewhere in TN
710 posts, read 1,957,860 times
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Heh. I posted the same story. I'm not sure what I think about it. Well, I do have a thought or two, I suppose.
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Old 09-24-2007, 06:57 AM
 
Location: florida
445 posts, read 1,680,056 times
Reputation: 121
Default What a shame.

The area is getting diverse and I think perhaps someone stealing the sign brings more attention the the change in the area and gives more publicity to people of all faiths moving to the area.

This would not be a deterrant for our family.
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Old 09-24-2007, 07:03 AM
 
Location: Somewhere in TN
710 posts, read 1,957,860 times
Reputation: 783
I actually saw the sign before it was removed, which is strange since it was up for less than 24 hours. I doubt I pass by that particular road more than once a week or so. I remember being surprised that it was there. I'm not very surprised that it was stolen. My hunch is that its removal is more personal and less religious intolerance, although if it was recognized as a Muslim-friendly sign right after 9/11 and right after we lost another soldier in Iraq, that could have motivated its theft.
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Old 09-24-2007, 03:39 PM
 
Location: Beautiful East TN!!
7,280 posts, read 21,277,857 times
Reputation: 2786
How sad.
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Old 09-24-2007, 09:27 PM
 
Location: Atlanta suburb
4,725 posts, read 10,114,832 times
Reputation: 3490
Question Here we go again, I'm afraid.

Could it be that someone with the Town had it removed because it was on the courthouse property? There have been a couple of threads lately about government/religious freedom, etc.

It's possible that it wasn't a spiteful act at all, but a case of the city not wanting to get pounced on for allowing a sign referencing a religious holiday to placed on their public, goverment domain. Hmmmm.
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Old 09-25-2007, 06:10 AM
 
Location: Somewhere in TN
710 posts, read 1,957,860 times
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No, definitely not (or at least if it was them, they have specifically denied it). That would be ironic, actually, because this same activist is one who wanted them to remove the 10 commandments sign/statue/whatever from a government building several years ago. This is what she does instead. She also puts a menorah up alongside the Nativity scene around Christmas time. She's quite an interesting woman. She's faced down guerrillas in Bosnia, been shot at, all kinds of stuff.
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Old 09-25-2007, 06:42 AM
 
Location: florida
445 posts, read 1,680,056 times
Reputation: 121
Default along with that, a Kwanzaa candleabra

The Menorah probably is not a bad idea.
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Old 09-25-2007, 08:55 AM
 
Location: Atlanta suburb
4,725 posts, read 10,114,832 times
Reputation: 3490
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wordy View Post
No, definitely not (or at least if it was them, they have specifically denied it). That would be ironic, actually, because this same activist is one who wanted them to remove the 10 commandments sign/statue/whatever from a government building several years ago. This is what she does instead. She also puts a menorah up alongside the Nativity scene around Christmas time. She's quite an interesting woman. She's faced down guerrillas in Bosnia, been shot at, all kinds of stuff.
It would be interesting to have a sit-down with this woman and see what is ticking in her head! Very eccentric, I would say. Is she alone in these actions in Cookeville or does she have a group of followers?
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Old 09-25-2007, 08:24 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in TN
710 posts, read 1,957,860 times
Reputation: 783
Now that I'm thinking about it, I believe it's a dreidel and not a menorah.

She's a human rights activist. I don't know that she has or would want a following. She just has her beliefs and is one of those rare souls who actually backs them up with action.

She's definitely a very interesting woman. I like her very much although we agree on very little politically.
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