Somali Muslims Changing Small Bible Belt Town -Shelbyville, Tenn.

The folks in Shelbyville, Tenn. need our prayers.

CBN has done a story on the Bible belt town, Shelbyville, Tenn. where several hundred Somali Muslims have moved in, and are changing the town. Brian Mosely, a reporter for the local Shelbyville Times-Gazette won an award from the Associated Press for a series of articles he wrote for the paper about Shelbyville's Somalis, and writes about the culture clash that is taking place.

You may recall the Tyson Plant that generated national controversy last fall when it dropped Labor Day as a paid holiday in favor of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, and the decision was later reversed.

Mr. Mosely writes:
"The Somalis were--according to a lot of the people I talked to here--were being very, very rude, inconsiderate, very demanding. They would go into stores and haggle over prices. They would also demand to see a male salesperson, would not deal with women in stores"

"Their culture is totally alien to anything the residents are used to," Mosely added.

The problems extend to local schools--where some Somali students won't talk to female administrators.

There have also been issues with local law enforcement.
Mosely says the Somalis have isolated themselves from the rest of the community. Read the full article here
Tags: Shelbyville, Somali Muslims