Faribault Community Reactions

The Ten Commandments statue was presented in 1957 as a symbol of common interfaith values among Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish traditions. Given this context, it is interesting that some Faribault residents strive to incorporate the growing Muslim community into the interfaith audience to which the monument speaks. Faribault, and Minnesota in general, is experiencing an influx of Muslim immigrants, and this quotation speaks in part to a desire for civic spaces to be accessible to community members of all backgrounds.

One community member, who wished to remain anonymous and refrain from personal reflections, spoke instead to her understanding of the community’s reaction to the statue:

Well, I have heard people, and like I said, I really don’t have a personal opinion either way…I’ve heard some people say that it’s a historical artifact. I’ve heard some people say that it’s included in the Book, you know, the Bible. Or, you know, the Hebrew text or even in the Qur'an. So, and I’ve heard people say it’s a piece of art, so, you know, different people have different ideas about it.

When asked about whether there is anyone who feels strongly about the monument in the Faribault community, one way or the other, they responded:

I think that possibly long-time residents might feel very strongly in a positive way towards it. However, I have had Somali neighbors say that we are all people of the Book. So, I really have never had negative comments too much.