Muslim Prayers to Open Hartford City Council Meetings

While the nation remains divided over whether a mosque should be constructed near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, the city of Hartford, Conn., is going out of its way to show "solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters."

Though the city doesn't normally begin its council meetings with any sort of prayer, NBC Connecticut reports that the city council has invited local imams to deliver Islamic invocations at the beginning of council meetings during the month of September:

"One of the goals of the Council is to give a voice to the many diverse peoples of [New York] City, which is especially important given the recent anti-Islam events throughout the country."

Council President rJo Winch (sic) called it an important move for the Council. "I feel it is very important that, as a Council, we project a culture of inclusiveness in the City of Hartford. Too often it is our differences that divide us. In my opinion, it is our combination of differences that makes us strong," Winch said.

And what better way to promote equality and inclusiveness than to give preferential treatment to one group over another?