Screencap from the movie Meatballs, via Paramount Pictures
In-depth coverage of Islamophobia:British PM David Cameron Should Be Ashamed of His Speech on 'Extremism'How I Accidentally Moved to the Bigot Capital of EuropeThis Former Far-Right Gang Member Is Touring Britain and Apologizing to MuslimsDavid Salha, a mattress store owner in a town 200 miles north of Detroit is planning to turn his vacation home into a summer camp. However, the construction, which requires a specialized permit from the county, is reportedly being delayed because Salha is Muslim, and the local officials are concerned that he's planning to train terrorists.According to an in-depth report by The Huffington Post, the Ogemaw County Planning Commission is the body responsible for approving requests like these, and, so far, they've only delayed it. Locals who have voiced their concerns about Salha's plans have cited causes other than terrorism like impact on the environment and noise. But terrorism appears to be a big part of it.At a recent meeting of the commission, a citizen named Carol Sappington spoke up, saying, "I have heard on the news that in every state in the United States we have an ISIS group," and "I think the citizens ought to keep an eye on what is developing."Salha's application is online, and it features a detailed explanation of precisely what's developing. If he's planning to train terrorists, he's going to be doing so, it seems, while paying homage to classic eighties summer camp movies. The detailed plan in the report features construction of eight cabins with a capacity of fourteen people each including two adult supervisors. There'll be a dining pavillion, an office, shower facilities, a security shed, an archery range, hiking trails, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, fishing boats, a dock, and not a single cinderblock hut where campers will learn to create IEDs for the glory of Allah.At an earlier meeting of the township board in June, the innuendos about Salha being a terrorist were even more overt. For instance, one attendee named Tim Reetz voiced a lot of really interesting concerns about this summer camp:
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The council at that meeting voted unanimously to deny Salha his permit."It was disgusting. It made me sick to my stomach," Salha, whose wife and stepson are Christians, told The Huffington Post. The writer, Kate Abbey-Lambertz, noted that Salha was eating a burrito during the interview, even though it was Ramadan, and he was supposed to be fasting.Follow Mike Pearl on Twitter."That is a perfect location for a training cell—out of sight and out of everybody's view and everything else. A hell of a lot can go on in a situation just like that, and it's too suspicious for me. I think there should be some extensive background investigation into the owners of the property and the people that want to develop the property and their associates. The people that do that would be the FBI, and I think there should some contact made officially from the board to the FBI and the ATF."