Mosque classes seek understanding, not promotion, of religion

So we're out of the fire truck bucket and into the Mother Mosque.

In case you missed it, Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden has some concerns about two one-hour sessions next month at the Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids, where county employees can learn about Islam and its history. The sessions, initiated by an employee diversity committee, are voluntary. Employees who go can use an hour of paid time off.

Vander Sanden is worried that the sessions represent a constitutionally questionable government promotion of religion, and, therefore, an improper use of taxpayer bucks.

'I think that from a legal standpoint, government and religion are always a volatile mix,” Vander Sanden said Wednesday. 'I don't really view this as a legitimate objective or purpose of county government to do this. I think religion is a private matter, and I question whether we're overstepping our bounds here.”

Vander Sanden is a sharp guy. A couple of years ago, he called out Cedar Rapids city leaders for toying with the idea of prosecuting and banning their harshest, most vocal critics from City Hall. Vander Sanden thought the idea flew in the face of our constitutional rights to speak our mind and petition our government. And he was on the money. I respect his views on this stuff.

This time, however, I respectfully disagree.

As a Linn County taxpayer, I have no problem with county workers attending 'Intro to Islam, Including Information about Ramadan, and Muslim History in Iowa.” It sounds more like a community college course than an endorsement of religious faith. It also doesn't sound like proselytizing is on the agenda. The Mother Mosque is the first structure built to serve as a mosque in the United States, so Linn County's history is also Muslim history.

It's voluntary. And employees choose to use paid time off for lots of reasons. If they choose to use an hour to go to the mosque, I think it's a stretch to see that as taxpayer-supported religion.

I hope some employees do attend, because, as a taxpayer, I think we're better off with county workers who have a broader understanding of and appreciation for the citizens they serve every day. Understanding can guard against misunderstanding, including that sort that forces Vander Sanden to defend the county in court. I'd rather see some taxes spent on this than on that.

But what do I know? I also didn't have a problem with the Psalm-based art on a Cedar Rapids fire truck bucket that generated all sorts of local angst and argument. I just didn't think buying a display model truck with art affixed by the manufacturer qualifies as a government endorsement of religion, let alone an action that imposes religion on anyone.

Several readers let me know they think I'm an idiot. Others were less complimentary. In the end, the art was covered up and the bucket now is fully secular as it rises into the heavens. What a relief.

But I'm glad Vander Sanden is on watch duty for this stuff. Because there are plenty of folks itching to truly use the power of government to impose their personal religious views on us in ways that are involuntary and far more substantive and lasting than a truck decal.

l Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@thegazette.com