Islamic leaders meet with Nashville officials

The imam of the Islamic Center of Nashville spoke to the mayor’s regular meeting of department heads, including the police chief and the executive director of the Metro Human Relations Commission. Commission director Kelvin Jones has arranged some of the conversations.

The meetings were spurred by a recent incident in which a Quran, a Muslim holy book, was found covered with flies and mashed into what appeared to be feces on the steps of a Nashville apartment.

Islamic leaders criticized the police response as too slow. Police Chief Ronal Serpas said he did not believe the delay was intentional but that officers and dispatchers “should have probably done a better job.”

Mayor Bill Purcell on Monday commended Serpas on his follow-up, which included a meeting with Islamic leaders.

Purcell said sometimes the city’s response to such incidents is less than ideal.

“What’s most important … is what we do next,” he said.

Islamic leaders said Nashville has approximately 12,000 Muslims.