Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen
http://www.press-citizen.com/news/071303ali.htm
On July 13, 2003 the Iowa City Press-Citizen reported that "although talk of a planned Muslim youth camp in North Liberty has generated much controversy, Manzoor Ali remains as calm as the tranquil location of the site... 'That is the beauty of this country,' Ali said of negative opinions expressed about the camp. 'They have freedom of speech. Suppose anything is said against me... if I'm OK, I should not be worried. I think this will evaporate soon. It should be OK...' Despite the controversy, Ali still sees the North Liberty property as a logical choice. It is close to Cedar Rapids, which has one of the oldest mosques in the nation, he said. Members of the mosque are descendants of Lebanese and Syrian families who came to the area about 70 or 80 years ago, Ali said. Since then, the Muslim community has grown to about 2,500 people - many of them professionals in the community, he said."