Nashville, USA - A former FBI agent who claimed that Nashville mosques do not have First Amendment rights is providing training to the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office about Islam and terrorist threats.
The Tennessean reported that John Guandolo, vice president of the Arlington, Va.,-based Strategic Engagement Group, is leading the training being held this week at the World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro (http://tnne.ws/yUBucX ). During an anti-Shariah law conference in Madison last year, Guandolo said local mosques were front organizations for the Muslim Brotherhood.
"They do not have a First Amendment right to do anything," Guandolo said then. Guandolo did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment on Wednesday.
Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold said the training is to help his deputies learn more about the Muslim culture. Arnold has said the department has no plans to initiate an investigation of any local Muslims.
"There are not many classes out there for anything when it comes to Muslims . but this training isn't just about that, it has many other components to it," he said. "My stance is and my office's stance is, we are not here to pick sides. I am here to protect the people of this county, and I am never going to waiver from that."
EJ Kimball, president of the Strategic Engagement Group, said the training focuses on the Muslim Brotherhood organization, a fundamentalist Islamic movement, and they don't teach law enforcement about the religion of Islam.
The training is "meant to provide the law enforcement community with tools to understand the threat from the Muslim Brotherhood specifically in the United States," he said on Wednesday.
He said he could not confirm or deny that Guandolo claimed the mosques do not have civil rights, but he said the training provided to the sheriff's department does not make accusations against individuals.
"We specifically tell them we are not talking about an individual's First Amendment right to practice their religion," he said.
A plan to build a larger mosque in Murfreesboro has been mired in controversy after opponents filed a lawsuit seeking to stop construction. A judge denied a request for an injunction to halt construction, but a trial is set for April over whether the county gave adequate public notice before approving the project.
Saleh Sbenaty, a member of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, said the sheriff's office never asked them to participate in the training and it makes no sense to use a trainer who thinks Muslims don't have civil rights.
The sheriff's office is supposed to protect the rights of all citizens no matter what their faith, Sbenaty said.
"This training is hate training," Sbenaty said. "It is not training to keep our whole community safe."
Sbenaty said that the sheriff's office responded professionally when a suspicious fire was set at the site of the new mosque in 2010 that was labeled as arson and he hopes the department continues to treat them fairly in the future.
The Rev. G. Allen Jackson, who is pastor of the World Outreach Church where the sheriff's training is being held, was one of dozens of opponents who spoke against the mosque in Murfreesboro. The church held a community seminar run by the Strategic Engagement Group on Monday titled, "Understanding the Threat to America."
That community event was sponsored by the Tennessee Freedom Coalition, which is led by Executive Director Lou Ann Zelenik. She also was one of the organizers of the anti-Shariah event in November where Guandolo spoke.
Zelenik did not respond to phone messages left by The Tennessean requesting comment.