The mayor and a city council member will be the subject of a hearing on Monday in Lancaster, California, over recent comments. (See earlier article)

Mayor Rex Parris said at the end of a recent State of the City address that "we are growing a Christian community and we should never shy away from that." Councilwoman Sherry Marquez posted a comment on Facebook expressing outrage over an honor killing in a Muslim family, but after giving it a second though, she removed the comment an hour and a half later. Now, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the mayor, alleging he violated the supposed "separation of church and state." Late last month, CAIR asked the California Republican Party to repudiate Marquez' remarks, labeling them as "hate-filled" as well as "stereotypical and offensive."

Parris has critical words for the group bringing the complaints. "That is a radical Muslim group that the FBI has identified with supporting terrorism in the Middle East," comments Parris. "They do not speak for all the Muslims in America, that's for darn sure, but it gives you an example of how far this issue has gone."...