Texas residents condemn plan for Muslim cemetery

A proposal to bring a Muslim cemetery to Farmersville has stoked fears among residents who are vehemently trying to convince community leaders to block the project.

The sentiment reflects an anti-Muslim distrust that has been brewing over the last year in parts of Texas, most notably 25 miles away in Garland — the scene of a deadly May shooting outside a cartoon contest lampooning the Prophet Muhammad.

"How can we stop a mosque or madrassa training center from going in there?" he asked, referring to a type of Islamic school.

Concerns over Muslim cemeteries gained national attention in 2010 when the town of Sidney Center in New York voted to investigate how Muslims were burying their dead.

Salem told The Associated Press that state rules limit the places where a new cemetery can be placed, and Farmersville was one of the few options open to the association.