30 Mosques in 30 Days

Ramadan road trip: Moving melting pot finds peace, love and animosity

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Two young Muslims are traveling to 30 mosques in 30 states for Ramadan
• CNN joined Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq for three days
• Two mosques welcome CNN; a third kicks group off property
• Mississippi police officer pulls over the 2 Muslims, asks opinion of "ground zero mosque"

(CNN) -- As the blue Chevy Cobalt crept toward the edge of the property in Chula, Georgia, a palpable nervousness wafted through the cramped car.

Three men, straight out of central casting from "Deliverance," craned their necks toward our vehicle. A 30-by-50-foot Confederate flag waved 120 feet in the air. Nothing says "Welcome to the South" quite like the old battle flag.

We were quite the sight for this rural stop along Interstate 75: two olive-skinned Americans on a mission; an African-American photographer; and me, a white boy from the Bible Belt.

Even I, a lifelong Southerner, wondered about the wisdom of stopping here. Should we pull up to the Confederate souvenir shop or keep on going?

Full Article from CNN - August 30, 2010