The Islamic Academy of Alabama has withdrawn its request to the Hoover City Council to relocate to a building in Meadow Brook Office Park after a week of Islamophobic pushback from locals and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville.
The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission voted Monday to recommend denial of the school’s rezoning request, claiming that the recommendation decision is based on zoning issues rather the hateful rhetoric towards Muslims made by community members.
The Academy released statement condemning Tuberville’s comments, as well as comments made by State Representative Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City.
Following the Hoover Planning and Zoning Committee’s decision to deny IAA’s relocation from Homewood to Hoover, Tuberville asserted in an interview about the school that Islam “preaches hate” and instructs to “kill all infidels” and “kill all Christians.” Butler echoed similar rhetoric claiming that people “screaming to kill the infidel” or saying “Death to America” have “no place here.”
“Not one word of these allegations reflects the teachings, values, curriculum or culture of our school,” said Stacy Abdein, the school’s assistant principal. “They are irresponsible fabrications that fuel fear, prejudice and division. “Such rhetoric puts our students, some as young as 3 years old, at real and immediate risk. When public officials spread dangerous myths about innocent students and families, they embolden hostility and increase the likelihood of harassment or targeted threats, undermining the safety and well being of our entire school community.
““We have never had a single incident which would justify the vile accusations made against us,”Abdein said. “Our school and its message is not new, the fear-mongering is. At the Islamic Academy of Alabama, we teach our students to love their neighbors, value diversity, uphold justice and contribute positively to society. IAA produces doctors, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, journalists, and responsible citizens who care for their neighbors.”
The school has existed in the community for three decades, but Tuberville—the frontrunner to be the next governor of Alabama—said he would not allow Islamic schools in the state if elected.
The denial of the school’s relocation is just the latest flashpoint in Tuberville’s recent emphasis on Islam. Tuberville has repeatedly made comments in interviews and on social media in recent weeks decrying “sharia law” and has introduced two bills attempting to prevent it from being enforced legally and making advocacy for sharia law grounds for deportation or denial of admission to the U.S.
Tanveer Patel, a Muslim woman and Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Hoover City Council earlier this year, said there is “no factual basis” for Tuberville’s comments.
“Sharia isn’t a legal code, it’s a moral compass, just like Christian ethics or the Ten Commandments,” Patel said. ‘Our community is peaceful, educated, and civically engaged. There is simply no factual basis for treating Muslims as a threat. Alabama is safer when we rely on facts, not fear.
“What the Prophet Muhammad did was actually moderate and humanize many of the earlier practices, putting strong emphasis on mercy, forgiveness, and protecting people from harm. So when someone uses the word ‘sharia’ as a scare word, it really shows a lack of understanding. At its core, Islam teaches the same compassion and justice found across all three faiths.”
The recent murder of two National Guardsmen in Washington D.C. by an Afghan national has only inflamed the GOP’s attacks on Muslims and immigrants.
As for the Islamic Academy of Alabama, school leaders are headed back to the drawing board to look for a new location to accommodate its students.
