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Mosque is insensitive; so are pandering politicians
The New York City community board endorsed the Cordoba House, a community center and mosque planned for construction near Ground Zero.
Significant opposition has emerged against the project. Sarah Palin even weighed in this weekend, tweeting, "Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in interest of healing."
Should there be a mosque near Ground Zero?
The first featured article I saw on Monday, July 19 was about Alvin Greene, Democratic candidate for senator in my home state of South Carolina. He filled his first major campaign speech with traditional clichés, and closed with a comment that Republican Sarah Palin would likely support: "Let's reclaim our country from the terrorists and the communists." The second featured article I saw on that same day was about Sarah Palin, who tweeted that Muslims shouldn't be so provocative as to push their religious beliefs in a place that would upset many Americans.
A more interesting question to me than placement of a mosque near Ground Zero is why an inordinate amount of publicity is given to a candidate who's certain to lose and to a governor who quit, both of whom spew platitudes along with provocative remarks. What's next, a bipartisan celebrity ticket featuring Palin-Greene or Greene-Palin?
Nonetheless, a stopped watch and Sarah Palin are occasionally right, but only for a brief period of time. I agree with Palin that the idea of building a mosque at Ground Zero is insensitive, just as was the Carmelite nuns erection of a cross and convent on the edge of the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. (Subsequently, in an effort to improve relations between Roman Catholics and Jews, the convent was moved.)
Still, I support the right of American Muslims to build a mosque near Ground Zero. Americans have the right to worship or not worship wherever they please. That's what helps keep our secular democracy from becoming a theocracy. The extent to which religious leaders wish to show sensitivity to others with different beliefs is up to those leaders. Muslims are exercising their Constitutional rights when they build mosques on private property, which is better than some pandering politicians who threaten religious liberty for all when they promote placing overtly religious symbols on government buildings.
I'm thrilled to live in a country that has both freedom of religion and freedom of the press. I'm also happy that I have the free speech right to criticize both religion and the press. I've certainly done my share of criticizing religion, and plan to continue doing it when appropriate. And today I am most perturbed about a press that often ignores important issues addressed by knowledgeable people and instead zeroes in on celebrities like Alvin Greene and Sarah Palin.
It's my right to be bothered by this, it's the right of others to be bothered by the potential mosque at Ground Zero, and it's absolutely the right of American Muslims to build it. Observing Constitutional principles may be bothersome, but that's a small price to pay for the liberties our Constitution guarantees.
By
Herb Silverman
|
July 19, 2010; 7:37 PM ET
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Posted by: cadam72 | July 22, 2010 10:35 AM
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let us build a Mosque on the place of White House! it would be a dream of that stupid jew-professor
Posted by: golovskoy | July 22, 2010 9:56 AM
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It has been close to a decade ago that religious terrorists flew planes into the twin towers and still there is a gaping hole at Ground Zero. Even though America is incapable or rebuilding anything on that spot, the Muslim community is planning on building a Mosque a few blocks away. Yet it wasn’t until Sarah Palin weighed in on this topic that the Washington Post’s “On Faith” section decided to discuss it.
First let me point out that this wasn’t Sarah Palin’s first tweet on this topic. Her first two tweets contained misused words and are a little embarrassing. However, Sarah Palin isn’t the issue here. She holds no elected office and no one really cares what she has to say because she is an idiot and everyone knows it (including her fans).
You can read the rest of my response to this topic:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-8928-Philadelphia-Atheism-Examiner~y2010m7d21-On-Faith-The-Ground-Zero-Mosque
I will be responding to every issue posted in the 'On Faith' section. If you would like to be notified when my new response is up, please subscribe.
Posted by: dangeroustalk | July 21, 2010 7:58 PM
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I agree entirely with your position, but you insult Alvin Greene by putting him on a "celebrity ticket" with Sarah Palin. He's at least smart enough to quietly refrain from demonstrating his stupidity.
Posted by: Westmiller | July 21, 2010 4:49 PM
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I have no more problem with the building of a mosque near ground zero than I do with the building of a tabernacle, or cathedral, or temple on Broadway.
Posted by: fhay26 | July 20, 2010 7:01 PM
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.
.. . . TO: Sally P.
"Pleazza >"LiP-Zipper-Shtick" Ye Mouth Peace? ooops Piece, with more than "Lipa-Stick"!. aye?
Posted by: faith-on-space-ship-earth | July 20, 2010 5:10 PM
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Sorry, Mr. Wainer. You are correct that people have the right not to be gunned down in their church. We have (depending on the state you are in) gun control laws, laws against assault and homicide and a criminal justice system designed to deter and to punish. But you are incorrect when you say those rights supersede the rights of Moslems to build a mosque on land which they own and meet all the building requirements. It is with those same rights that the Humanist organization I belong to is building a Humanist Community Center in a city that is predominantly LDS (Mormon) and Christian. Hopefully, there will be Moslems who come to that mosque to mourn the Moslems (yes, there were some) killed on 9/11 and to show that not all Moslems are terrorists. New York has been, for so long, a multicultural mecca (apologies for the pun). Let us hope (and those who chose to do so may pray) that it always remains so.
Posted by: MyraRubinstein | July 20, 2010 4:38 PM
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It's my right to be embarrassed that once again South Carolina is in the news because of Alvin Greene. I long for the day when SC politics becomes more progressive and our news more relevant...
Posted by: LorettaHaskell | July 20, 2010 4:25 PM
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Adrian,
The building of a mosque has nothing to do with the disgusting fantasy scenario you put forth in your post. Why not try to focus on reality instead of trying to smear Muslims?
Posted by: cianwn | July 20, 2010 1:32 PM
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" It's my right to be bothered by this, it's the right of others to be bothered by the potential mosque at Ground Zero, and it's absolutely the right of American Muslims to build it. Observing Constitutional principles may be bothersome, but that's a small price to pay for the liberties our Constitution guarantees. "
PRESIDENT, SECULAR COALITION FOR AMERICA Herb Silverman
Sorry Sir, the right of women and children not to be machine-gunned to death in their Catholic Church in Michigan by a future United Islamic States of America Waffen SS, supersedes the right of Islamonazis and Islamofascists to erect Mosques celebrating the murder of approximately three thousand people on 9/11 and nothing in the US Constitution says it doesn't.
Posted by: Adrian_Wainer | July 20, 2010 1:24 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
Adrin is making the rounds. Peaceful muslims have been in America since it's founding. Washington and other founding fathers welcomes all religions and actively expressed their rights. We are not at war with the 1,5 billion muslims, but a tiny group of militants who hide behind the religion. When you talk about "gunning peepole down in church" are you as passioante about the sins of the man who just attacked the holocost museum, or David Koresh or the Christin Huturee Milita tath advocated violence. Religion will draw nuts from all faiths.