KATY, Texas — When an Islamic group moved in next door and told Craig Baker the pigs on his family’s 200-year-old Texas farm had to go, he and his swine decided to fight back.
In protest of being asked to move, Davis began staging elaborate pig races on Friday afternoons — one of the Islamic world’s most holy days.
Craig’s neighbors, the Katy Islamic Association, have plans to build a mosque and community compound on the 11 acres they purchased alongside his farm.
Baker, 46, a stone-shop owner whose family has owned the farm for two centuries, says the association knew about the pigs when they bought the property, and it’s not fair for them to ask him to get rid of the animals.
“I am just defending my rights and my property,” Baker said. “They totally disrespected me and my family.”
Initially Baker and Kamel Fotouh, the president of the 500-member Islamic Association, were on good terms. But things turned sour at a town meeting, where Baker says Fotouh insulted him by asking him to move.
“That was the last straw for me … calling me a liar, especially in front of three or four hundred people at that meeting,” Baker said. “Mr. Fotouh said it would be a good idea if I considered packing up my stuff and moving out further to the country.”
Fotouh says his group has to construct the mosque because the others in the Houston area don’t provide the kind of environment they are looking for.
“We feel that these mosques are not fulfilling the needs of the community as they should. So, our vision is to have an integrated facility,” said Fotouh.
He said the pig races no longer bother him or his members, and they’re going ahead with their plans to construct the mosque.
Muslims do not hate pigs, he added, they just don’t eat them.
Neighbors have been showing support for Baker’s races, even coming in the pouring rain and giving donations ranging from $100 to $1000 to sponsor the events.
Last Friday, more than 100 attended the pig races, and many say they don’t want the mosque either. Some fear it will appear out of place and hurt their property values.
An interesting event. Rather similar to people buying a house next to an airport and then b1tc#1ng about the jets coming and going. The concerns of the original owners in the area are genuine; property values will be high only among those who want to live close to the Mosque complex. Which may or may not become dicey as some sell to Muslim buyers and others want to stay in a possibly increasingly hostile environment. If the lead guru bought the 13 acres land then told a longtime resident (200 yrs on the family farm) that it would be a good idea if he either got rid of the porkers or moved somewhere else, it shows an incredible amount of arrogance that transcends anything that might be expected from a new neighbor.
I’m voting with the pig farmer on this one, simply because of the apparent arrogance of the lead guru. And that does not mean I disagree with the concept of a planned community that meets people’s needs from pre-school to elderly housing with shopping and worship in between. The Muslims are not the only people smart enough to plan such an all-encompasing villiage, there are others similar in nature although usually not so complete. The closest concept that I can think of offhand is the (used to be anyway) U.S. Military Bases. And then of course they could only accomodate active members.
This situation in Texas is likely to turn into a problem for both the original residents and the newcomers. Unless everyone can sit down to a good old BBQ. Pork for the residents and beef for the newcomers. Maybe kind of like Willie and Toby; whiskey for my men and beer for my horses, everyone gets what they like… 😕