WASHINGTON, 5 July 2003 — The US Army Corps of Engineers has approved a plan to build the nation’s first summer camp for Muslims — with the condition that the organizers reduce the size of their original proposal.

Ron Fournier, the Public Affairs Officer for the Corps’ Rock Island headquarters in Illinois, told Arab News that the Corps issued a report this Monday on a two-year feasibility study for the proposal, which concluded there would be no significant environmental impact from the Muslim Youth Camps of America’s plans for development along the Coralville Lake north of Iowa City, Iowa.

But the environmental conclusion does ask the group to submit a new plan with a 50 percent reduction in the project’s use and size.

“Since the report was released that was basically when all hell broke lose here,” said Fournier, who blames conservative extremists for deliberately using the issue to stir up hatred against Muslims in America.

“As you probably know, the big issue here is the Muslim religion. A lot of ignorant Americans believe all Muslims are terrorists, and this is being aggravated by rightwing Conservative talk show hosts who are not telling the facts to the public.”

Leasing property to non-profit groups isn’t unusual for the Army Corps. Fournier said the public has “failed to realize” that the Corps leases 122 sites to “all religious faiths throughout the US, so now we’ve included the Muslim faith.”

Saying he’s not very familiar with Islam, he added: “But I know it’s on the same level with Christianity and Judaism. But after 9/11, there’s a lot of mistrust and hatred regarding the religion in the US.”

People in the Iowa area are asking levelheaded questions, said Fournier. “People are concerned with the environmental impact. It’s outside this state that people are muddling the facts about this issue.”

He said he was frustrated by efforts to explain the situation to some conservative talk show hosts from outside the state. “They didn’t want the opportunity to provide the truth. Their goal is to incite hatred and intolerance, which helps their ratings and gets them more money.”

Despite the uproar, Fournier said the camp would be built.

“The decision is made, it’s done, and that camp is getting leased. They’re now going to have to build it at the 50 percent level, so how it might affect their decision, I don’t know.”

The original plan by Muslim Youth Camps of America, MYCA, called for 10 overnight cabins to hold up to 136 campers, swimming and dock facilities, a paved parking lot and caretaker’s residence.

The plan also features a 17,500-square-foot convention center. Organizers say the center would not be used for overnight stays, but would be open year-round for conferences, weddings and weekend retreats.

The Corps report said a scaled-back plan would provide for about 60 campers and staff for 10 weeks during the summer, and for intermittent recreational and educational use by up to 1,500 people the rest of the year.

The designated campsite was originally a Girl Scouts Camp that burned down in the 1980s, said Fournier. “They decided not to renew their lease, so we solicited non-profit organizations that wanted to use the area for recreation.”

He said the MYCA had the best proposal, but they were required to do an environmental assessment before okaying it.

After a two year study, the Corps found no significant environmental impact, “but ...the decision was to develop it on the level of the former Girl Scout Camp,” said Fournier.

“The Corps does not take religious affiliation into account, and it doesn’t discriminate. Some people think we should,” said Fournier. “It’s against the law to do this, they have first amendment rights.”