Quincy Tea Party to Host Islam History Presentation Amid Ongoing Local Debate

Author and historian William J. Federer is scheduled to speak Oct. 6 at the Grand Event Center as Quincy continues a public discussion over statements and social media activity that Muslim organizations have characterized as anti-Muslim.

QUINCY, Ill. A presentation on the history of Islam is coming to downtown Quincy at a time when the subject has become part of an unusually prominent local debate involving religion, free expression and the conduct of public officials.

The Quincy Tea Party will host author and historian William J. Federer on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Grand Event Center, 600 Hampshire St. Federer is expected to present a historical examination of Islam and its interactions with Western and American history.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with the program scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. A cash bar will be available.

Admission is free for Quincy Tea Party members and $20 for nonmembers. Organizers are encouraging advance registration because of limited seating.

The event was not announced as a response to the controversy that has recently developed in Quincy. Its timing, however, places the presentation squarely within a broader local conversation about Islam and how criticism of a religion can be distinguished from hostility toward the people who practice it.

Islam becomes part of a local public debate

The subject has received increased attention in Quincy since the Islamic Center of Quincy raised concerns earlier this month about comments it said were made by a city alderman during a Ward 3 town hall.

The center initially did not identify the alderman or provide a transcript of the comments, but said it believed Islam and Muslims had been insulted. The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its Chicago chapter later identified Ward 3 Alderman Mike Adkins and criticized social media activity and public statements they characterized as anti-Muslim. Quincy Current – Quincy, IL News

Those descriptions remain the characterizations of the Islamic Center, CAIR and others who have criticized the alderman. They are not an independent determination by Quincy Current that Adkins or his statements are Islamophobic.

The Quincy Human Rights Commission subsequently began preparing a resolution concerning the matter. CAIR has said the commission is expected to consider the resolution Oct. 6, the same date as the Federer presentation. Quincy Current – Quincy, IL News

The controversy has generated significant public reaction on both sides. Some residents have defended Adkins and argued his comments or social media activity have been mischaracterized, while others have raised concerns about how such statements affect Muslim residents and the broader community.

Adkins later told Quincy Current that his priority was representing Ward 3 residents and focusing on City Council responsibilities. He did not directly address the specific posts or statements criticized by the Islamic Center or CAIR in that response.

Organizers say focus will be historical

Against that backdrop, the Quincy Tea Party says Federer’s program will focus on history rather than the immediate local political dispute.

The organization described the event as an opportunity for residents to hear a source-based historical presentation and develop a broader understanding of Islam’s history and its relationship with political and cultural developments.

Federer has written or contributed to more than 30 books and produces the daily “American Minute” radio feature. He also hosts the television program “Faith in History.” His own biography describes him as a nationally known speaker and author whose work frequently examines American history, religion and government.

Among his books is “What Every American Needs to Know About the Qur’an: A History of Islam & the United States,” first published in 2007 and later released in an expanded edition. The book surveys Islamic history and interactions between Muslim-majority powers and the United States.

Federer’s presentations frequently rely on historical quotations, documents and chronological narratives.

A timely subject for Quincy

The event comes as Quincy is navigating a difficult question: how a community discusses religion, ideology and political movements without treating individual residents as responsible for the beliefs or actions of others who share their faith.

Criticism of a religion, religious text, ideology or historical movement is not automatically the same as hostility toward people who practice that religion. At the same time, Muslim civil rights organizations argue that sweeping generalizations about Islam can contribute to prejudice against Muslims.

That disagreement is part of what has made the recent Quincy controversy so contentious.

Federer’s appearance now gives local residents another venue in which Islam will be discussed publicly, although from the perspective of a historian and author rather than through a City Council or Human Rights Commission proceeding.

For Quincy, that makes the Oct. 6 presentation more timely than it might have appeared only a few months ago.

The program begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Grand Event Center, 600 Hampshire St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free for Quincy Tea Party members and $20 for nonmembers, with advance registration encouraged because seating is limited.

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