caught somewhere between real life, simple faith, & raw emotion
What About the Ground Zero Mosque?
I want to take a moment to talk about the Ground Zero Mosque–or the mosque that is going to be built 2 blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center Towers, that is. It’s certainly making the rounds. Everyone has offered a comment or two on it. So I figured I’d talk about it. It would seem that current events and faith intersect this week in a very big way.
I have several questions that I think need to be answered on this issue.
As the President affirmed this weekend (and later clarified), he believes in religious liberty. The freedom to worship the God of your choosing, or not, or however you view God, is at the core of the creation of this nation. There is no question about this, it is even protected in our Constitution.
First, let’s clarify: building a building is not actually a right. It’s a bit of a gray area, which is why it’s making the rounds in the news.
Did you know I can’t build a missile silo in my back yard? There are ordinances, zoning issues, and committees to balance. Even if I wanted to build a church (remember, freedom of religion is protected and all), just because I own the property and the proposed plan meets all legal guidelines, doesn’t mean I can build it. If enough citizens make a stink or show up at public hearings/council meetings and complain, I will be denied the ‘right’ to build. There is always more to consider. In fact, every church I have ever attended has done some type of building project and every single one has never gotten to do exactly what they wanted to with their own property.
Perhaps you might say, although it might be morally right and technically legal, it is also a matter of conscience. So it is not a moral issue (to build the mosque). They have the right. But as a matter of conscience, the question is:
Should the Mosque be built on–or so near to–Ground Zero? (technically, this could be considered part of Ground Zero itself since debris from the planes actually damaged those buildings)
Well, let’s bring some balance. some similar questions to ask first would be:
Would it be appropriate to build a German Heritage Center next to Auschwitz? Would it be appropriate to build a Shaolin Temple in Pearl Harbor only ten years after the attack there? Or how about building an orphanage next to a Catholic Church that has had repeated convicted sex-offender priests? Things bring into question why the 9/11 hijackers did what they did. It’s worth noting.
And what about the imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf?
A good move would be to do some PR. He should meet with the victims of the attack to bring healing. Make some statements denouncing the attacks. Why hasn’t he done that at a minimum?
And…where is the money coming from?
Did you know the US (that’s your tax dollars) is sending him to the middle east so he can raise money to build the mosque? That’s a little strange. I don’t really understand why we would do that. This also raises another question:
Who will pay for this mosque/where is the money coming from? I certainly hope no groups/people with connections to terrorist groups will be helping pay for this. Will they view the building of this mosque as a victory? Mosques are historically symbols of conquest in Islam.
It’s curious that the community board approved the mosque with astounding numbers. This leads me to my last question (and the most important one for me:
Would there be so much support for a mega-church (Christian) wanting to build in the same place?
Would the community board be so unanimous? Would the mainstream media, who is typically somewhat antagonistic toward religion (and the Christian religion in particular), take up the cause of a church in the same situation?
And answer is a resounding NO! Why do I think so? Because a similar situation is happening at the same place .
There is a Greek Orthodox church that was destroyed as well on 9/11. The city agreed to give them some land to rebuild on a few blocks over, since the city can’t even agree on what to build on Ground Zero (but it can approve a mosque for some reason). This way the church could move forward.
Guess what? This city (the Port Authority, to be exact) won’t let them build their building.
And let’s be direct, no one is denying anyone the right to worship.There are over 50 mosques in New York City already. I support a new one being built. It just might be a bad idea to build one at Ground Zero.
Just some things to think about.
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Thanks. I appreciate it.
Jason, that’s an interesting question you raised earlier… why hasn’t this ‘Ground Zero Imam’ made some strong public statements against the attacks. Visiting the families of those victims would be huge. Good things to ponder.
I am aware that this is a “community center”. Call me a cynic, but I think this is mostly clever marketing. Much of the building plan has huge portions of the building undeclared (in purpose, that is). So that makes me suspicious.
I agree we were not attacked by an Islamic state and we have to be careful not to give that idea. But certainly we know the motives of the actual attackers. That much is clear.
I support the mosque. I just think there needs to be some questions answered.
The “mosque” controversy is interesting in a number of ways.
First, note I put “mosque” in quotes. Turns out, from what I’ve been hearing on the news it is actually an Islamic Community Center which includes an area which cvan be used for worship. A “mosque” in Islam is (so I hear on the news) a structure built specifically for the faithful to gather for worship and prayer. I get the impresion that the distinction would translate into Christian terms as between a Catholic or Protestant church building versus a YMCA. This is or should be an easy point to check, verify, and get correct. It’s disturbing that many commentators have chosen not to do this. One wonders if some in the conversation (not you – you are measured and thoughtful as usual) are trying to be deliberately inflamatory.
Second, the case of 9/11 is not parallel to the historical events being cited for comparison. We were not attacked by “Islam”, nor were we attacked by any particular Islamic or Arab state. Al-Quaida is a “non-state actor” in the terminology of foreign relations. And I would definitely agree that putting up an Al-Quaida center at or near Ground Zero would be inappropriate to say the least.
One could try to draw a parallel and ask if it would be inappropriate to put up a Christian center at the site of an IRA bombing. But again, not strictly parallel.IRA attacks were Christian on Christian terror. (“Sectarian violence” in contemporary terms).
To my mind, the opposition to the Islamic Center is being driven by a spirit of vengance, inflamed by those whose business is to exploit such sentiments professionally. Worse, it is a thirst for vengance against those who did nothing wrong! Most Muslims repuidate the theology underlying the Al-Quaida attacks. There are serious questions whether those people are even Muslim. Their activities, at least on the surface, are expressly forbidden by the Koran.
I think that if people could find in their hearts the spirit of peace and brotherhood which have been such important teachings of Christianity, along with other great world religions and philosophies, We could move away from the politics of vengance and begin to focus in a positive way on the needs of others.
Just a thought,
-Steve
Thanks for sharing those thoughts. Very important things to think about.
I visited Ground Zero in 2005, depressing, and one thing I saw all around the perimeter were these little signs ordering vendors to be kept a certain distance from the site before selling their wares.
So, it is IMPLIED that this is sacred ground, just like you wouldn’t see people selling T-shirts on the USS Arizona – we shouldn’t let this mosque be built so close to the site.
In ancient times, this mosque would be a “trophy” – and the name of the proposed mosque, Cordova, is even a slight nod to a previously erected trophy in Spain following the crusades.
Make no mistake about it, we are allowing this to be made to off-set tense relations, because we are morons, we actually think that these people deal in logic and laissez faire – we are wrong.
I studied Persia in the Marines, the final analysis from my instructor was this, we could live there for 50 years and STILL not truly understand the mindset.
Just before Pearl Harbor, a Japanese agent sent notice to his superiors how foolish, weak, and trusting we were in the US. Clearly, we have learned nothing. Allowing this to be built will be a mecca for terrorists to come and pray at the holiest of holies, the very location they made their great Satan bleed. Thinking anything else makes you an infant.
The Victory Mosque is just the visible tip of a very large iceberg. Beneath the surface of Western societies, Muslims are waging a campaign of infiltration, subversion, sedition and social sabotage, with the objective of destroying our countries and way of life from within.