U.S.: Tennessee – Eye on Islamism

Davidson County sheriff shares religious head covering policy in lawsuit against Knox County Sheriff Daron Hall laid out his department's policy about religious head coverings, saying arrestees do not have to remove them as long as they can be identified.

January 15, 2025 Kaitlin Riordan

(WBIR) The Davidson County sheriff provided a declaration in a federal lawsuit about his department’s policy surrounding arrestees who wear religious head coverings. Layla Soliz, who practices Islam, is suing Knox County and the sheriff because she said a sheriff’s office employee […]

Knoxville man sentenced to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide support to ISIS For years, the DOJ said he used his alias 'Abu Hamza' to publish a large body of ISIS media, including a weekly newsletter.

July 17, 2024 Josh Jarnagin

(WVLT) A Knoxville man was sentenced on Wednesday in the United States District Court in Knoxville for supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, more commonly known as ISIS. According to court documents obtained by WVLT News, Benjamin Alan Carpenter, also […]

Rutherford County to pay $100K settlement, change policies after hijab removal lawsuit

January 24, 2024 Unlisted Author

(WZTV) Rutherford County has settled a lawsuit filed by a Muslim woman who was required to remove her hijab for a booking photo. Sophia Johnston was booked on a charge in August of last year that has since been dismissed. During the […]

Muslim family accused of assaulting son in Nashville home for converting to Christianity

December 12, 2023 Sydney Keller

(WZTV) A mother, dad and son were arrested after officers responded to a welfare check to find a juvenile who appeared to be “cut haphazardly” with lumps on his face. According to an arrest warrant, the victim told police his family attacked […]

Knoxville man found guilty of supporting ISIS after giving materials to undercover FBI agent

October 20, 2023 Hannah Moore

(WATE) Following an eight-day trial, a jury has convicted Benjamin Carpenter, 31, from Knoxville of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Carpenter is a United States citizen and according to court documents, he was the leader of Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, an international […]

New House Homeland Security Committee chair has history of anti-Muslim comments During a 2016 tea party meeting, Mark Green told an audience that he didn’t want public school students in Tennessee to learn about the Islamic faith.

January 12, 2023 Rowaida Abdelaziz

(HuffPost) Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) is set to lead the House Committee on Homeland Security, which Muslim civil rights groups say is alarming because he has a history of making Islamophobic remarks. Green — a physician, Iraq War veteran and former GOP […]

A young American girl whose mother joined ISIS and died has been rescued, a former US diplomat says Eight-year-old Aminah Mohamad, the daughter of an American woman from Tennessee who joined ISIS in 2014, awaits her fate outside a Syrian detention camp.

August 2, 2021 Ellie Hall

(BuzzFeed) An American-born girl who grew up under ISIS control was rescued from a Syrian detention camp last month after the girl’s mother — a US citizen who left the country and in 2014 joined the terrorist organization — and her father […]

State lawyer fired for anti-Islam tweets files speech suit

April 6, 2021 Brian Flood

(Bloomberg) An attorney alleges the Tennessee Supreme Court’s board of professional responsibility unlawfully fired him for posting tweets that an opposing party said displayed anti-Muslim bias, arguing his social media posts were constitutionally protected political speech similar to that of former president […]

Judge deciding whether to free Knox man accused of helping ISIS recruit fighters

April 5, 2021 Jamie Satterfield

(Knoxville News Sentinel) A federal magistrate judge on Monday withheld an immediate ruling on the fate of a 31-year-old Knoxville man accused of serving as an interpreter and media representative for ISIS. Benjamin Alan Carpenter, who also uses the name Abu Hamza, […]

National rule on religious headwear in volleyball changed after push by Nashville school

February 4, 2021 Joseph Spears

(Tennessean) A Nashville charter school has led the charge for national change as it pertains to wearing religious headwear during volleyball competition. High school volleyball players no longer need state association approval to wear religious headwear during competition, according to one of […]

Muslim group claims tip of Nashville bomber would’ve been taken more seriously if he wasn’t white

December 31, 2020 Stassy Olmos

(WKRN) The American Muslim Advisory Council in Tennessee is calling out law enforcement after the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, saying the tip warning them in 2019 would have been taken a lot more seriously if the suspect had not been white. […]

Tennessee legal watchdog out after lawyer accused him of being an ‘anti-Muslim bigot’

December 11, 2020 Adam Tamburin

(Tennessean) A legal ethics watchdog resigned after a lawyer he was investigating slammed him as an “anti-Muslim bigot.” In a court filing Friday, the state board that punishes lawyers for misconduct said Jerry Morgan was “no longer employed” as a disciplinary counsel. […]

‘Anti-Muslim bias’ of Tennessee legal ethics watchdog hurts investigations, court filing says

December 11, 2020 Adam Tamburin

(Tennessean) A legal ethics watchdog in Tennessee is under fire after he was accused of being an “anti-Muslim bigot” by one of the lawyers he was investigating. Jerry Morgan, disciplinary counsel for the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, plays a prominent role in […]

Tennessee high school athletes can now wear religious headwear without getting TSSAA permission first

December 10, 2020 Tom Kreager

(Tennessean) An addition to the TSSAA bylaws allowing religious headwear to be worn at Tennessee high school sports events was approved unanimously by the high school association’s Legislative Council on Thursday. The proposal, which was made by Valor College Prep in Nashville, […]

House speaker appoints activist called ‘anti-Muslim’ to Tennessee textbook commission

November 25, 2020 Meghan Mangrum

(Tennessean) Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton’s recent appointment of long-time activist Laurie Cardoza-Moore to the Tennessee State Textbook Commission is already garnering backlash from some community members. On Tuesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) — the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization — called on […]

Tennessee closer to allowing high school athletes to compete wearing religious headwear

November 13, 2020 Angela Dennis

(Knoxville News Sentinel) Muslim athletes in Tennessee may soon be able to wear a hijab during competition without prior approval following votes this month at the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association regional meetings to allow student-athletes to wear religious headwear during competition. […]

After athlete was disqualified for wearing hijab, Nashville school seeks rule change

September 18, 2020 Mike Organ

(Tennessean) Valor College Prep officials are calling on the National Federation of State High School Associations and the TSSAA to alter a uniform rule after one of its athletes was prohibited from participating in a volleyball match because the Muslim student was wearing a […]

Tennessee newspaper investigating ‘horrific’ end of times ad

June 21, 2020 John Raby

(AP) A Tennessee newspaper said Sunday it is investigating what its editor called a “horrific” full-page advertisement from a religious group that predicts a terrorist attack in Nashville next month. The paid advertisement that appeared in Sunday’s editions of the Tennessean from […]

Memphis Muslims sign up to vote as part of national registration drive

August 25, 2019 Katherine Burgess

(Commercial Appeal) On a Friday afternoon after prayers, 17-year-old Haneen Jaber filled out a form on the patio of the Muslim Society of Memphis. About to turn 18, Jaber was registering to vote. “A lot of the things that are going on […]

Why this Nashville charter school found itself having to account for how it taught about Islam

March 4, 2019 Holly Meyer

(Tennessean) It can be challenging to teach about religion in public schools. People care deeply about their own beliefs and how religion is presented to their children in the classroom. A misstep or even a perceived one can upset parents, draw the attention […]

Bill Lee, Muslim advocacy group agree to meet after reports that campaign sought photo of opponent

October 12, 2018 Holly Meyer

(Tennessean) Bill Lee, the Republican nominee for governor, reached out to the American Muslim Advisory Council after they criticized reports about the Lee campaign’s attempts to get a photo of Karl Dean at a “Muslim event.” Sabina Mohyuddin, the program manager for the Nashville-based advisory […]

Muslim group ‘disappointed’ that Lee campaign reportedly wanted Dean photographed at ‘Muslim event’

October 10, 2018 Holly Meyer

(Tennessean) The American Muslim Advisory Council is pushing back against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee’s campaign for reportedly trying to have his Democratic opponent photographed at a “Muslim event.” The Nashville-based advisory council, a nonprofit focused on building mutual trust and respect in […]

Guard called Muslim headscarf a ‘rag,’ Kansas prison discriminates, rights group says

September 12, 2018 Tony Rizzo

(Kansas City Star) A civil rights group said Wednesday that a Muslim woman is facing religious discrimination at a privately run prison in Leavenworth. The prisoner, Valeriece Ealom, has complained that staff at the Leavenworth Detention Center have repeatedly disparaged her wearing […]