Look who’s ecstatic over the approval of the Muslim youth camp in Iowa; our allies, the Saudis, responsible for spending mega-billions of dollars to spread extremist Wahhabism worldwide. Coincidence? Muslim Camp Gets ‘Go-Ahead’ by US Army Corps.

WASHINGTON, 5 July 2003 — The US Army Corps of Engineers has approved a plan to build the nation’s first summer camp for Muslims — with the condition that the organizers reduce the size of their original proposal.

Ron Fournier, the Public Affairs Officer for the Corps’ Rock Island headquarters in Illinois, told Arab News that the Corps issued a report this Monday on a two-year feasibility study for the proposal, which concluded there would be no significant environmental impact from the Muslim Youth Camps of America’s plans for development along the Coralville Lake north of Iowa City, Iowa.

But the environmental conclusion does ask the group to submit a new plan with a 50 percent reduction in the project’s use and size.

“Since the report was released that was basically when all hell broke lose here,” said Fournier, who blames conservative extremists for deliberately using the issue to stir up hatred against Muslims in America.

“As you probably know, the big issue here is the Muslim religion. A lot of ignorant Americans believe all Muslims are terrorists, and this is being aggravated by rightwing Conservative talk show hosts who are not telling the facts to the public.”

Leasing property to non-profit groups isn’t unusual for the Army Corps. Fournier said the public has “failed to realize” that the Corps leases 122 sites to “all religious faiths throughout the US, so now we’ve included the Muslim faith.”

Saying he’s not very familiar with Islam, he added: “But I know it’s on the same level with Christianity and Judaism. But after 9/11, there’s a lot of mistrust and hatred regarding the religion in the US.”

Notice how, in one breath, Fournier says “ignorant Americans” are being stirred up by “conservative extremists”—and in the next breath, says he’s “not very familiar with Islam,” but he knows it’s “on the same level with Christianity and Judaism.” God save us, if fools like this are supposed to be watching out for our security.