365 Reasons I Love Costa Rica
Reason #358: A Mosque in Manhattan
I have been listening not too closely to all the controversy surrounding the erection of an Islamic Mosque near “ground zero,” the location of the 911 tragedy. Of course one has too understand that feelings are still highly sensitive about what occurred on that fateful morning when some 3,000 were murdered by radical Islamic terrorist ideologues (no I don’t feel the least bit queasy about using that term). That is what happened, pure and simple. There is no justification under the sun for it. However, I do not believe the best way to prevent this from happening again is to try stamping out the Islamic faith from before our midst. It won’t work. There are many I fear who do believe that is the answer. Oh they will rationalize and say it is not the “good Muslims” that they want to be rid of, only the bad ones. But is it not “good Muslims” who want to build this mosque? I believe the best way to prevent future 911 tragedies is to peel away the layers of hate, mistrust and raw sensitivities and try to get down to those underlying reasons that would have persuaded a few seemingly clean-cut Muslims to hijack airplanes full of fuel and slam them into each of the largest edifices in the largest city in the most powerful country in the world. Why did they target us, rather than say China or Japan or Russia? If we weren’t meddling in their affairs would they still have set their sites on the twin towers? Of course, there are two underlying words that describe why we would be meddling in their affairs…oil and Israel. We need their oil and we need to protect our greatest ally in the Middle East with deeply rooted ties to the highest facets of U.S. society. Ok all that is not going to change. But what kind of message does it send when we try to deny the completely legal and legitimate building of a religious temple near ground zero, especially when that religion happens to be Islam? Is it a message of conciliation and tolerance, or hate and rejection? Is more hating and rejecting of their faith going to spur more or less negative and hateful feelings by them towards us? I write a lot about tolerance in this blog. I truly believe that peace will be fostered by more of it. It is time for us to look beyond the fact that the 911 tragedy had its root in religion and seek a level of mutual understanding before we simply blow each other to kingdom come. Letting this mosque be erected is a step in the right direction. Don’t you think?
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I simply do not agree with you. It is an affront to those who lost loved ones on that terrible day. If I believe their motives for building it there are absolutely to rub this tragedy in our face. They tend to build their mosque in places that do just that!!! There are plenty of other choice places to build this mosque.
I am sure it is an affront, as long as you see the problem in terms of “they tend to biuld their mosques….” What separates “them” from you? Hatred towards them will only foster more hatred by them towards you. What does that solve?
How about “they” build it next to “your” house? Would that be okay…or would the thought then be…”there goes the neighborhood!”
Where is the tolerance from the “clean cut” muslims as you say that these builders and funders for 70% of the Americans people who are against it. This is very divisive. There are already over 100 mosque in the NYC area and there are none in the are of tis proposed mosque. Read your history of their “tendencies”. Look up Cordoba and at least 5 other known to be built as a statement, not of tolerance, but of conquest. Tolerance would be if a like kind Christian center would be invited to be built in there neck of the globe
Your last point is a good one, but two wrongs don’t make a right. Retaliatory intolerance will never lead to tolerance.
Great post. Will visit again. Thanks
“Look up Cordoba and at least 5 other known to be built as a statement, not of tolerance, but of conquest.”
…as in Spain?? Well that’s because they owned Spain at that time. Muslims don’t own the US, so how can it be a sign of conquest!
Interesting fact. Muslim Spain in 700 years of Muslims control was still majority Christian. When the Chrstians took over and persecuted everyone – including the Jews the Muslims bought over, only 3% of the population was non-Christian.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml