Apparently inspired by the ADL-Ground Zero mosque controversy and the appeals of prominent Republicans like Newt Gingrich and Tea Partiers, a wave of anti-Islamic bigotry seems to be spreading across the country. As reported by Laurie Goodstein of the Times,

In Murfreesboro, Tenn., Republican candidates have denounced plans for a large Muslim center proposed near a subdivision, and hundreds of protesters have turned out for a march and a county meeting.

In late June, in Temecula, Calif., members of a local Tea Party group took dogs and picket signs to Friday prayers at a mosque that is seeking to build a new worship center on a vacant lot nearby.

In Sheboygan, Wis., a few Christian ministers led a noisy fight against a Muslim group that sought permission to open a mosque in a former health food store bought by a Muslim doctor.

Expressed fear that the Constitution would be replaced by Sharia Law was one reason for the protests. And once again we see the term “moderate Islam” used to characterize these religious groups as if Islam was inherently extremist and widely prevalent among them. Ignorance and bigotry are bedfellows for sure, but better is expected from news sources like the Huffington Post.

In an update on the ADL-Ground Zero mosque controversy, Fareed Zakaria returned the Hubert Humphrey Award for First Amendment Freedoms he received from the ADL five years ago, stating that, after the ADL’s intolerant position on the Ground Zero mosque, “I cannot in good conscience keep that award.”

Over the same controversy, Paul Krugman, the economist, spoke out on the Anti-Defamation League opinion. Responding to a piece by Peter Beinart who wrote about the ADL’s double standards, as Hateful Ground Zero Hypocrisy, Krugman, a Jewish liberal, let his views on Abe Foxman, director of the ADL, be known.