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THE QUESTION
Religious freedom vs. wisdom
President Obama, after saying that building a mosque at Ground Zero fit our "commitment to religious freedom," backtracked, saying he wasn't commenting on the 'wisdom' of building it so close to 'hallowed ground.'
A Fox News poll showed that while 61 percent of Americans believe that Cordoba House has a constitutional right to build near Ground Zero, 64 percent believe it is not appropriate to do so.
Does Obama's hedging show a lack of ethical convictions? Does Hamas' endorsement change the debate? What is behind public opposition to the site? Can you believe in religious freedom but not believe the mosque is appropriate?
Posted by
Elizabeth Tenety on August 16, 2010 1:00 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Supporting the mosque is the American (and Jewish) thing to do
It hardly helps us in the real fight against Al Quaeda when we alienate Muslims who seek to build communities of freedom, dignity and peace. It is unwise, it is unfair, and it is unAmerican.
Posted by Sharon Brous, on August 20, 2010 7:10 PM
Punishing Muslims for terrorism is wrong
As has been widely reported, however, the sponsors of the Islamic center have condemned these and other acts of terrorism.
Posted by Melissa Rogers, on August 20, 2010 10:30 AM
Right to build vs. right to ask questions
Either build outside of the bounds of Ground Zero or answer some legitimate questions as to how and why. Let the steam blow off and the healing begin.
Posted by Aseem Shukla, on August 18, 2010 2:43 PM
Who's inside the Muslim box?
People are in a shadow zone right now, worried about terrorists, suspicious of Islam despite their best intentions, and jumpy about the Muslims among us who are doing nothing more dangerous than seeking a place to worship in their own way.
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on August 18, 2010 12:37 PM
Islamophobia threatens religious freedom
The real threat is to the religious freedom of Muslims in America - their freedom to practice their faith openly and freely without intimidation or fear.
Posted by Charles C. Haynes, on August 17, 2010 6:01 PM
Protecting religious freedom for all -- in word and deed
Many of the recent statements that affirm religious freedom, while questioning the "wisdom" and "appropriateness" of this project, ring hollow. The burden of ensuring that all enjoy religious freedom equally falls to all of us.
Posted by J. Brent Walker, on August 17, 2010 4:22 PM
Muslims are protected Americans
I think President Obama showed courage in stating the premises of the Constitution he swore to uphold.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on August 17, 2010 3:53 PM
The Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center and American values
Islam did not attack the United States on September 11, 2001. Criminals attacked this nation. To ask every Muslim from this moment forward to prove their loyalty to the Untied States, to prove they have never been associated with someone who has said or done something offensive, and or to prove that every dollar that goes into a building project did not come from some source that the wider society does not approve is unfair.
Posted by Valerie Elverton Dixon, on August 17, 2010 1:17 PM
Wisdom lacking on all sides in Ground Zero mosque affair
It should have been obvious to the planners of the mosque/cultural center that it would be seen as inappropriate by large groups of Americans.
Posted by Pamela K. Taylor, on August 17, 2010 1:10 PM
Building mosque can be a redemptive act
More than a stone monument in honor of those who died, this initiative, perfectly located near Ground Zero, can be a living memorial for human beings from many faith traditions who gather to do the hard work of deep engagement, appreciating difference, finding common ground and acting upon shared goals.
Posted by Katharine Henderson, on August 17, 2010 11:01 AM
American Muslims not synonymous with Al Qaeda
We must not forget that the fundamental reason behind the anger towards the mosque is an inability or an unwillingness to distinguish between ordinary American Muslims and Al Qaeda.
Posted by Muqtedar Khan, on August 17, 2010 10:56 AM
Rights, restraint and timing
There is a difference between rights, which must be protected under the law, and courtesies, the mutual respect and common decency that neighbors owe to one another.
Posted by Nathan Diament, on August 17, 2010 10:29 AM
An issue of religious freedom - period
To oppose this project because Islam is involved and Muslims are sponsors of it is a violation of the religious freedom guaranteed and protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution - period.
Posted by Welton Gaddy, on August 17, 2010 10:23 AM
Doing what's right: religious liberty for Muslims
When some mosque opponents say that they "support religious liberty, but...," one immediately knows the inauthentic nature of their commitment to religious liberty
Posted by Robert Parham, on August 17, 2010 7:25 AM
Mosques in America: Rabbi Hillel, George Washington, & my grandma
"This is America, and we must not talk like that!"
Posted by Arthur Waskow, on August 16, 2010 9:51 PM
Freedom to offend and be offended
The Bill of Rights in general and the First Amendment in particular protect our right to behave in ways that the majority deem inappropriate.
Posted by Herb Silverman, on August 16, 2010 8:47 PM
Don't patronize religious freedom
Christians frequently have a responsibility to remind the Powers of their responsibility to uphold their own best principles. Now is such a time. And faithfulness to that responsibility is never defined by popular vote.
Posted by Gene Davenport, on August 16, 2010 8:40 PM
Wisdom part of God's nature, not part of the election year calculus
The forces behind the opposition to the community center - forces largely politicized in nature, whether from the Tea Party faction, Anti-Defamation League spokespersons, Republicans smelling blood in the water, Democrats smelling defeat in November, or the merely bigoted and intolerant - represent a threat to more than a little domestic tranquility.
Posted by Max Carter, on August 16, 2010 7:43 PM
Is PR disaster worth it?
If Muslims choose to build near Ground Zero, they should be allowed to do so. The reaction of the majority of the American public demonstrates that doing so is not wise in the short-term, but it is up to the funders of the Islamic center to decide if the immediate public relations disaster is worth it.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on August 16, 2010 7:28 PM
What freedoms will we lose next?
The fact that so many Americans oppose it is both disappointing and frightening. I fear what religious freedoms those Americans want to go after next.
Posted by Hemant Mehta, on August 16, 2010 5:11 PM
Mosque controversy a major setback for United States
Now the US is doomed if they allow the mosque to be built and doomed if they don't.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on August 16, 2010 4:17 PM
Difference between good, could and should
Faith is good. Law is could. Wisdom is should.
Posted by Jack Moline, on August 16, 2010 2:45 PM
