Excerpt:
This morning, the Hartford City Council invited local imams to come open September Council meetings with Islamic invocations.
In the announcement, the Hartford City Council called the plan "an act of solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters." Via email, the Council alluded to the ongoing debate in Manhattan about the proposed Ground Zero mosque, and stated that it was the hope of the Council that Islamic invocations would counteract hostility toward Muslims and create a sense of inclusiveness.
That act set off such an immediate controversy that Council president Jo Winch had to schedule a press conference at 1:00 P.M.