Maryland town fearful of jihadist camp proposal
Residents of Walkersville, Maryland, fear backyard jihad camp as “Muslim Community” proposal moves forward before town leaders
They have a gag-rule on their arguments about Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a proposed Islamic camp on 224 acres across the street from Walkersville, Maryland’s high school.
Citizens are not allowed to discuss “religion” which includes concerns that the Islamic camp might be utilized to train, arm and organize jihad.
The discussion must remain on matters of traffic congestion, water tables, plat grading and storm-water run off, mitigation, economic impacts, structure buffering etc.
“The other stuff can’t be included in the argument,” Ellie of Adamstown said. “I know organized religion isn’t a crime…(but) I hope the zoning issues are enough to keep this organization out.”
Heading a citizens group Citizens for Walkersville, that has rallied the town and inspired county residents regionally is Steven Berryman.
Confident the issue would be decided in favor of citizen’s against the proposal, He told PRB News, “We have a strict platform that is opposed to the drain on infrastructure and resources.”
Berryman said while the group represents a strong majority of town residents, they have no animosity toward people with various religious beliefs. “We have no religious bias,” he added.
Berryman said much media attention has focused on Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as a good and peaceful community.
“So much money and time has been spent to tell us so, over and over again through purchased print ads and visits to our churches,” he said.
“This smacks of propaganda and causes us to question their true long-term designs on a venture here.”
Many eyes remain on Walkersville and the decision that town leaders face.
M. Reed, a resident near Walkersville and a supporter of Christian Action Network, said to PRB News that numerous family members and friends are following the proposal closely.
Reed said he was especially concerned about the camp’s location so near schoolchildren. “It’s shocking…to think of how close we could be to terrorist attack, how close they’d be to our kids,” he said.
“I’m concerned they could be planning to store weapons and plan terrorism there,” he added. “From what news reports are saying, they’re having quite a fight over it.”
From comments the residents of the town are limiting themselves to, they have good case against the camp and the proposed 40,000-plus square foot building that would be built on it.
“Walkersville is a small town of 5,000 people,” Mark Butt said. “We don’t need or want a convention center that can accommodate 10,000 people in the middle of town.”
Water and roadway infrastructure is inadequate, they argue; Butt said 95 percent of the Walkersville citizens who don’t have a financial stake in the project agree - no thanks.