MIAMI HERALD WRITER TARGETS BLACK PASTOR AS BIGOT

Fred Grimm, writer for the Miami Herald has identified the black pastor of the World Wide Christian Center in Pompano Beach, FL - approx. 40 miles north of Miami - of being a bigot. He does so while seeming to give Dozier credit for coming up with the formula for the outrage surrounding the ground zero mosque, instead of attempting to understand the root cause of growing sentiment.

In 2006, Dozier (pictured) led an effort to prevent a mosque from being built in his church's neighborhood. While the similarities between that effort and the one on a much bigger stage in New York City are obvious, Grimm seems to go a bit further, intimating that Dozier may be partially responsible.

Via the Herald:

Dozier's bigoted sentiments have been resurrected, though this time by mainstream politicians over a proposed Islamic community center two blocks from the site of the fallen World Trade Center. Leaders like Sarah Palin, John McCain and professed political intellectual Newt Gingrich argue that their objections have to do with the project's proximity to the 9/11 site, but their statements about Islam sound discomfitingly familiar to anyone who remembers O'Neal Dozier's ugly turn in 2006. Pompano Beach, by the way, is about 1,250 miles from the World Trade Center site.

And Dozier-like characterizations of Muslims have been erupting these past few months in other places far from New York City. In Temecula, Calif., protesters against a new mosque carried signs demanding ``No More Mosques in America'' and ``No Rights for Mosques'' and ``Mosques are Monuments to Terrorism.''

I spoke to Dozier about this article and he expressed mild surprise at Grimm's take. "I think he's giving me far too much credit," Dozier said. He also said he wasn't contacted by Grimm for the article but was more than willing to give his take.

Perhaps Grimm was afraid of Dozier convincing him of his side. If he talked to him, he might learn the meanings of three Islamic terms that should cause him pause: muruna, taqiyya, and kitman. HERE is a link to Dozier's website.

Read it all.