When it comes to certain aspects of American ignorance and bigotry, this story has to take the cake. As most Americans already know, a Muslim man known as Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf would like to build an Islamic place of worship (mosque) at Ground Zero in New York City.
Stop right there. This is where our ignorance really shows. What most Americans actually don’t know is that the proposed mosque is, in fact, not at the site of Ground Zero.
As you can see by the image, the site of the proposed mosque happens to be a little farther from Ground Zero then most believe. In fact, it’s more than two city blocks from where the Twin Towers were located. That is a fairly large distance when referring to the geography of New York City.
The second aspect to this debate is the lack of acceptance of a religion that the general public views as “evil.” It’s almost as if Americans blame all Muslims for what happened on 9/11. As Americans, we hold that people can come to our great country and not be ridiculed for their religion; yet this is exactly what is going on (see the First Amendment). Even though those who caused 9/11 practiced Islam, it’s not fair to blame the attacks on an entire religion. (Every religion seems to have their fair share of extremists–Adolf Hitler was Christian, Allan Goodman was Jewish, etc.) Our worth as a diverse and accepting people sells for so little now that those who crave only the “American Dream” get persecuted not for their aspirations, but something so profoundly personal as religion.
President Obama recently decided to put in his two cents on this issue, which just fueled the fire, especially from the conservative side of the debate. Some people are saying he’s “supporting the building because he’s a Muslim,” or that he’s “in bed with al-Qaida.” These claims are utterly trivial and, of course, 100 percent false. I respect the president’s opinion on the matter; however, I think he shouldn’t have had made a public statement about it due to the fact that it would create even more unnecessary controversy.
Finally, the building that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is proposing isn’t just a mosque. Its main purpose is a social recreational building that happens to include a mosque. Either way, he has every right to build whatever he wants on private land as long as it complies with the building laws of New York City. This recreation center, therefore, shouldn’t be the receptor of so much controversy. It is something that should be discussed at the very local level between Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and the city officials. Who are we to diminish a religious organization’s right to build a house of worship?