An Iowa town goes to battle for Afghan immigrant

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

At first glance, Iowa Falls might be an uncomfortable place for a devout Muslim. Pork, forbidden in Islam, is big business here, and there isn't a mosque for miles. And yet, for Zalmay Niazy – an Afghan who goes simply by "Zee" – Iowa Falls has been the answer to his prayers.

"Iowa Falls is home," he told correspondent Lee Cowan.

Niazy came to the U.S. after serving as an interpreter for both American and Allied forces in eastern Afghanistan. Every mission made him a target of the Taliban.

"I have seen a lot of my very good friends have been killed," Niazy said, "and we've been given body bags to just pick something for the family."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/iowa-town-goes-battle-afghan-135630376.html

[a kennedy]

1. I saw this on Sunday Morning today.........and dang near bawled through the whole segment.

[moondust]

2. Cedar Rapids has a Muslim history.

The Moslem Temple, now the Mother Mosque of America, was completed on February 15, 1934. It is a simple, one-story wood frame prairie schoolhouse style building. It is significant for being the first building designed and constructed as a house of worship for Muslims in America. It is also the oldest surviving place of worship for Muslims. The building illustrates two important historical trends. The first being the immigration history of the United States. The second being the beginning of the development of Islam as an established religion in the U.S.
~
https://www.nps.gov/articles/mothermosque.htm