Imam Mohamed Al-Darsani and a handful of volunteers stand in front of a home under construction in Lehigh Acres. Before they get started on the dry wall, Al-Darsani opens their workday with a prayer.

Someone left a bag of desecrated Qurans at the Miami Gardens Mosque.

The newly formed Florida Muslims Congress meets there today with law enforcement representatives from the Miami area.

Inside a storefront near downtown Fort Myers, twenty people wait in a cramped room to be seen by a nurse practitioner. The sign facing the road reads ‘free clinic.’ Parish nurse Yolette Osselin calls the next patient. She passes a painting of Jesus in ‘The Last Supper’ on her way to the sole examination room.

Ave Maria University, a small Catholic institution in Collier County, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in opposition to the provision of the federal health care plan requiring all employers to provide free contraceptive services to their employees.

Earlier this month, responding to criticism from some religious groups, President Obama amended the policy saying women could apply directly to their insurance company for the benefits rather than through their employer. But Ave Maria University President Jim Towey says that’s a shell game. READ MORE

Why is there so much anti-Americanism in the Muslim world? What do Muslims like and dislike about the West? What do Muslim women really want? A new film being screened in Fort Myers on Saturday evening will address these questions, and more. It’s called “Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think.” It’s based on the results of a 5-year study by the Gallup Organization, which interviewed Muslims in 35 countries, as well as in Europe & America. WGCU’s Mike Kiniry spoke to Mohamed Al-Darsani, he’s Imam at the Islamic Center for PEACE in Fort Myers, about the film and its findings. Al-Darsani says there IS a conflict between the West and East, but it’s based almost entirely on misperceptions…

To learn more about the film or the Islamic Center for PEACE, or to register for Saturday’s screening, go to www.ic-peace.com. The event starts at 6:00. There will be a panel discussion after the film.

Kashi Ashram is a little enclave hoping to make a big difference in Sebastian, southeast of Orlando on the Atlantic coast.  Katie Pankow visited Kashi as part of the series “Florida: Heaven on Earth?”

Yesterday, reporter Katie Pankow brought you the story of a unique Amish settlement in Sarasota.  Her story “The Amish of Pinecraft” continues today…it’s part of her series called “Florida: Heaven on Earth?”

Where do the Amish go for vacation?  Florida, of course. The Pinecraft community in Sarasota is Florida’s largest Amish enclave. Katie Pankow has more on this extraordinary community as part of the series “Florida: Heaven on Earth?”

Just outside of DeLand near Orlando is a little town called Cassadaga, which has earned the moniker “the metaphysical mecca” of the South.  Katie Pankow visits Cassadaga as part of a series of stories called Florida: Heaven on Earth, an exploration of religious communities in the Sunshine State.

N-G-O
Development Workers from around the world are in North Fort Myers this
week.  ECHO – the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization -
teaches outreach workers agricultural techniques and technologies to
help others help themselves.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.