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Talent moves to support Muslim community Magdy Zacky stands near the front of the Masjid al-Tawheed mosque in Talent, where the City Council voted Wednesday night to support the town's Muslim community and others. Mail Tribune file photo Thursday Feb 2, 2017 at 3:38 PM Feb 2, 2017 at 6:51 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat The Talent City Council approved a resolution Wednesday in a 4-3 vote vowing to support the town's Muslim community. In front of an overflow crowd inside Talent's Town Hall, Mayor Darby Stricker issued the tie-breaking vote favoring "a resolution to affirm the inclusive and welcoming nature of the City of Talent," which included language highlighting the city's support of the Muslim community. Talent is home to Southern Oregon's only Islamic prayer center, Masjid al-Tawheed. Magdy Zacky, president of the mosque's board, said he was overcome by the support shown by 30 speakers urging passage of the resolution. A couple hundred people gathered outside the front and back doors of Town Hall, which has a 100-person capacity. "The people are wonderful," Zacky said. Gulled Mohamaud, who attends the mosque, said the fact that so many spoke in support makes him and others in the local Muslim community feel welcome. "The political climate, it's unpredictable," Mohamaud said. Mary Foster of Ashland, the mosque's secretary and treasurer, expressed gratitude during the meeting for dozens of supportive emails from Southern Oregon residents. Of the 30 speakers at the meeting, Foster was the only one who represented the mosque.  "In the town of Talent, we have been so welcome," Foster said.  Foster admitted there have been times when she's gone to the mosque to pray and has been worried for the safety of herself and others.  "What am I going to do for those women and kids if something happens?" Foster said. The language in the resolution was based on similar measures passed in the cities of Beaverton, Portland and Philadelphia, according to Michelle Glass, a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Civil Rights. More than 120 "incidents of bias" were reported in the Rogue Valley between June and December 2016, including a Muslim woman who had her hijab ripped off her head and an appliance repair technician who was sent away because he was Muslim. "While these acts are not particularly criminal offenses, they do represent a pattern of discrimination," Glass said. Councilors Daniel Wise, Ryan Pederson and Emily Berlant voted in favor of the resolution, while John Harrison, Christina Collins and Ken Baker opposed it.  Baker said he would have supported a resolution that didn't specifically name a protected group, adding he was concerned that language showing favor to one group, the Muslim community, has the potential to overshadow another, such as the Hispanic community. "I felt it was subdividing us when it was not necessary to do so," Baker said. Stricker disagreed before breaking the tie, saying the language about Muslims was used only "as an example." "It means part of a whole, but not to the exclusion of that whole," Stricker said. Stricker said she was on the Planning Commission when the mosque was approved. She said when the city took Masjid al-Tawheed's application fee, it entered into a covenant with the mosque to protect it. "They are certainly entitled to everything everyone else has in terms of public safety," Stricker said. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. Talent City Council resolution in support of Muslims and others by Mail Tribune on Scribd