Watch the Islamic prayer that a Lincoln County commissioner refused to listen to

The Lincoln County board of commissioners drew national attention last week when its chairman refused to listen to a Muslim prayer to open a meeting.

Video of the meeting shows Lincoln County commissioners chairman Carrol Mitchem absent from the dais as Foothills Interfaith Assembly member Duston Barto begins a prayer in the Islamic tradition. When it’s over, Mitchem comes in and takes his seat.

At the end of the meeting, the board voted to end its practice of invocations before meetings in favor of a moment of silence. Mitchem chastised a fellow commissioner for describing his actions as “walking out” during the prayer. He said he simply never walked in.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 9:18 AM with the headline "Watch the Islamic prayer that a Lincoln County commissioner refused to listen to."