By Angela Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-919503.mp3
Mayfield, KY – Graves is a county of roughly 200 churches. But that statistic could soon change to 200 churches and one mosque. A group of around 150 Somali Muslims who live and work in near Mayfield have submitted an application for a permit to hold religious services in a small building on Broadway. It would be the first public mosque in far western Kentucky. As Angela Hatton reports, the news is causing a lot of discussion among residents and business owners.
Through the window, the building on East Broadway almost looks unoccupied. The walls are pale blue, the carpet beige. There's no furniture, but several dark red prayer mats have been spread on the floor. Mayfield City Planner Brad Rodgers says the Somali group has been renting the space for six months. He says they planned to use it as a community center and store. A few months back Rodgers and a code enforcement officer went over on a business call.
"And we noticed they were having prayer services in there."
According to city ordinance, all places of worship have to get a use permit from the zoning board. Rodgers says it's a simple, one page application.
"This is our first mosque, but it's nothing new as far as this process and we're trying to treat this as any other application."
Rodgers says city officials are concerned about making sure the building meets code. He says the space is only 600 square feet in total, and the proposed prayer room can only hold 40 people at once. Sandy Cooley owns a hair salon next door to the proposed mosque. She says she doesn't have a problem with the group.
"The only concerns we would have would be for our parking. We don't have a lot of parking. And if it would bother us that way, if we had a problem with them parking over here."
Mayfield Florist and Greenhouse owner Dick Conner says he's afraid having the Somalis congregate next door to his shop will hurt his business.
"We got some elderly women that come in on a regular basis. They're telling us that they're very uncomfortable coming in because a lot of times these men stand out in front of that building over there. Just loafing around."
Conner's owned his business for over 30 years and says the Somalis are the best tenants to occupy the location next door. But he still wishes they'd worship somewhere else.
"It's just something that I'm not comfortable with, and a lot of people in Mayfield's not comfortable."
Employees at an insurance company on Broadway shy away from making any comment about the mosque, as do others on the block. Workers at Jackson Purchase Ag Credit Association defer to CEO Stan Brunston.
"This country was founded on freedom of religion, and uh, if it's their choice to want a mosque and a place to worship, I have no issue with it."
"I would love to meet some of the Somalians and get to know them."
First United Methodist Church pastor Joe Hansen says he's had several people come to him concerned about the Somalis and the mosque.
"I think the feeling a lot of people in Mayfield have is they were just sort of brought to town and . . . here they are. I think it's been kind of a surprise to people. And we don't know how to deal with it."
According to city planner Brad Rodgers, the majority of the Somalis work at Pilgrims Pride chicken processing plant in nearby Hickory. He says they originally came to the US as refugees. Pilgrims Pride corporate spokesman Gary Rhodes says the company does sometimes recruit from outside western Kentucky. Rhodes declined to offer any more details, though he emphasizes that Pilgrims Pride does not target any specific group for work. Hansen worries there's no one helping the Somalis become a part of the community.
"To know that there are 150, and I'm out in the community a lot and I have to say, I have not seen one of them. I've heard people say they're trying to stay under the radar because their cultural practices are really a whole lot different."
WKMS's attempts to speak with representatives for the Mayfield Somalis have so far been unsuccessful. Florist Dick Conner says he's partly responsible for bringing the mosque issue to the public eye. Conner says the zoning board originally ruled on the permit in a meeting two weeks ago.
"The public was not invited to that meeting, which they should have been. And the thing passed to where they could put it in. Well, I told them I'd just stop paying taxes too, because they don't pay taxes, and then the mayor came over the next day and told me that meeting had been nullified."
City Planner Brad Rodgers says officials erred in not allowing Conner and another person to make comment at the previous meeting. Rodgers says to his knowledge, the Somalis do pay taxes. Conner says he will be at the zoning board meeting Tuesday, and he expects others that support his position to come too. The five member board must approve the permit by a simple majority.