With reluctance, I support them. But I feel sad about needing to do so.

All snout and tail, the pink and brown pigs contentedly rooting in the wire pen behind Craig Baker's stone shop seem piggishly comic. They're racing pigs, after all, and that's got to be funny.

But few in the sprawling subdivisions along Baker Road are laughing.

These pigs are subtle weapons, here to show the new neighbors — the Katy Islamic Association — they aren't entirely welcome. Tension has been growing in this west Harris County community since September when the Muslim group announced it had purchased 11 acres south of Interstate 10 to build a mosque, school, community center and athletic facilities.

Hard feelings started when Baker met association officials, who, he said, advised him he should move his stone shop.

"They told me it was time for my family to pack up," said Baker, whose family has occupied its land since the early 1800s. "They said a mosque and a marble shop didn't go too good together."

Angered by the perceived insult and aware of Islamic dietary laws banning pork consumption, Baker responded by announcing he would stage weekly pig races on his Muslim neighbors' holiest day of prayer.

Ordinarily, I would oppose anyone making new neighbors, especially a house of worship, unwelcome in such a manner. But it strikes me that Baker's actions don't make any sense absent some sort of provocation from the Katy Islamic Association. After all, why would a successful and respected businessman, a life-long resident of the community with roots in the area that go back to the early nineteenth century, take actions that are likely to alienate as many folks as they please?

The new neighbors are offended.

But aren't pigs on the property line racing on a Friday night a little offensive to a Muslim neighbor?

"The meat of a pig is prohibited in the religion of Islam," said Katy Islamic Association member Youssof Allam. "It's looked upon as a dirty creature."

Yeah, there's that and also that Friday night is a Muslim holy day.

"That is definitely a slap in the face," said Allam.

But is it really any more of a slap in the face than telling a man to close up his business and move away? Or beginning construction on the property without applying for -- much less being issued -- the appropriate permits? It seems to me that there is a real problem here with regard to the conduct of the Katy Islamic Association.

There are, of course other concerns from the local community.

"It's not an appropriate place to have a mosque or church," said resident Barbara Simpson.

It isn't going over real well.

"As a house of worship, they shouldn't be disturbing the peace and tranquility of 15 homes," said resident John Wetmore.

Neighbors tell us they're concerned about traffic and drainage and a little fear of the unknown. Some of the homeowners even offered to buy the land back for more than a million dollars. The K.I.A. doesn't seem very interested in the offers.

"We're not going anywhere," said Katy Islamic Association member Alvi Muzfar.

And frankly, I don't find any of those arguments convincing. After all, this is a developing area in which the road will, sooner or later, be widened to accommodate the additional residences. A house of worship in the area is not, as County Commissioner Steve Radack points out, in any way incompatible with the area. And the drainage issues will be dealt with in the permitting process, just as they would if there were a new sub-division put in. So I see no reason NOT to build the mosque complex, and urge the community to welcome their new neighbors.

But I also urge the Katy Islamic Association to make amends with Craig Baker for whatever offense they caused, wittingly or unwittingly -- at which point I hope Baker will send his piggies to market or donate them to the Katy ISD FFA program.

And I repeat what I have said here in the past -- even though I have serious problems with the tenets of Islam, though long experience I know that most Muslims are decent, hard-working, peace-loving people. They are welcome here in this country as citizens and friends, with an absolute right to the liberties guaranteed in our Constitution. But they do not have to impose Islamic practices and values upon the rest of us, nor do they have a right not to be offended by others acting contrary to Islam. After all, religious freedom is a two-way street.

UPDATE: Here is evidence of bad faith on the part of KIA.

For now the KIA has been ordered to halt all building on their property because the organization has been issued a notice of permit violation by the Harris County Building Permits division.

“A violation is in place and they have to stop all construction until they offer information we have asked them for and until they have a permit issued,” said Raymond Anderson, Manager of the Harris County Permits Division.

“If they do not confer with our policies in place they could be referred to the (Harris County) District Attorney's office.”

Seems to me that the neighbors might very well have some things to be concerned about.

And notice, please, that the spokesman for the group refuses to answer questions about the comments to Craig baker. If they were never made, why no denial?

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