[johnqueuepublic]

I was surprised to find out there were so many Muslims in that one area.

[livius]

There's a big Islamic institute mosque here in Gainesville because of the university (established and funded by Sami Al Arian'sgroup).

The other day, I happened to drive by a mosque in the town of Ocala, about 45 minutes south of Gainesville. Ocala is a small city/large town that is mostly known for horse breeding and racing. Some of the stud farms are owned by Middle Easterners, and I would assume that the money for the mosque (which appears to have taken over an old church) came from them. I have no idea who attends it, however.

The Muslim population here is not huge, but it is well-off and well-connected. I'm not surprised that the 9/11 hijackers saw this as a perfect place to hide out.