Since then, however, it’s kept a very low profile on the map. Until recently, that is. It suddenly made national attention when a local mosque announced a plan to build a new Islamic center to tend to the needs of its growing community.

Despite being welcomed in the community for 30 years, the expansion plan led to large protests, a 20,000-person petition to stop construction, vandalism and, most recently, an arson attack that has succeeded in frightening many in the Muslim community throughout middle Tennessee.

The rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in the state has been amplified when the plan for a small mosque was rejected for a building permit in Brentwood, Tenn., and another suffering vandalism in Nashville.

The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro wanted to build new facilities outside of town to accommodate its growing congregation. It purchased 15 acres for a 10,000-square-foot center, with plans for a worship house, school, gym and pool; with the surrounding area being used for a pavilion and cemetery.

But opponents filed suit last month. They charged that county officials did not properly notify the community about the proposal, and argued that Islam is not a valid religion but instead a political cause to force the US to adopt Muslim laws.

A small group of radicalized bigots has continued to oppose the construction of the new mosque. In August, construction equipment at the site was set on fire, and spray painted protests of the plan that read: “Not welcome.”

A Muslim member of the community told reporters that the protesters “don’t think Islam is a religion, or they think it’s a religion based on violence. We are struggling to understand this, first because that’s absurd, and second, because we’ve lived happily in this town for years.”

Essam Fathy, another resident of Murfreesboro for 30 years, told reporters: “There were a lot of Muslims here years ago as there are now, and we have all lived in peace for years, but something lately has changed in my town. I’ve never seen aggression like this. It’s reached an absurdity that I just don’t know how to react to anymore.”

“I hear people say things to me, just out and about, rumors about how we’re going to build a terrorist training camp, that’s what the gym will be used for.”

This week the Department of Justice stepped in, warning local officials that opposing the mosque could violate the civil rights of its members and become a federal crime.

In August, President Obama drew fire from conservatives and many New Yorkers when he said Muslims in Manhattan had the right to build an Islamic community center on private property.

In court filings in Tennessee, the DOJ said: “Every court has treated Islam as a religion for purposes of the 1st Amendment and other federal laws. No court has held otherwise.”

Islam, it said, “falls plainly within the understanding of a religion for constitutional and other federal legal purposes,” adding that “A mosque is a place of worship, and US federal law is obligated to treat it as it would a church or synogogue. The DOJ is committed to protecting the rights of freedom of religion of Americans of all faiths. “

Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said local officials had an obligation to treat a mosque the same as a church or synagogue. “This is not only common sense,” he said. “It is required by federal law.”

Perez and Jerry Martin, the top federal prosecutor in central Tennessee, noted that their decision to intervene comes on the 10th anniversary of a federal law that bars local officials from using zoning or land-use laws to discriminate against religious groups.

Fortunately, many residents of Murfreesboro, including Christian and Jewish religious leaders, have joined together to demonstrate in support of the Islamic center there. The group, Middle Tennesseans for Religious Freedom, is mobilizing to continue supporting the religious communities that comprise their neighborhoods.