Pa. mosque opens peacefully near synagogue, church

BERWYN, Pa. - September 10, 2010 -- A new mosque recently opened in a Philadelphia suburb, but not many people noticed.

Amid a tense national climate for U.S. Muslims, the Islamic Society of Greater Valley Forge did not want publicity.

Its leaders sought only continued harmony with their neighbors: a Jewish synagogue next door and Baptist church across the street.

The Muslims' peaceful coexistence offers a stark contrast to anti-Islamic sentiment that has torn other U.S. communities, including arson at a planned mosque in Tennessee and a threatened Quran burning in Florida.

Leaders of the mosque, church and synagogue in the Philadelphia suburb of Tredyffrin (treh-DIF'-rin) Township say their good relations are an example of how America is supposed to be.

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philadelphia, pennsylvania, chester county, Islam, local/state

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