Have you heard this story? There are plans to build an Islamic mosque on ground zero of where the 9-11 attacks took place. Well, the mosque would actually be built a couple of blocks from ground zero, but what’s the difference, right?
This topic has been the cause of some outrage (mostly from conservatives, but even from some others as well).
Initially, the Anti-Defamation League (Jewish civil rights/human relations agency) protested. Some people claimed this was disrespectful to those who perished in the 9-11 attacks.
Now the ADL says protesting is “counterproductive to the healing process…we’re not continuing to fight it. We raised an issue…but once the community board ruled, we moved on.”
Yeah, ok. If this was really an issue that had something to do with real Jewish interests at heart, the ADL wouldn’t have thrown in the towel so quickly. This is not a “pick and choose your battle,” type of scenario for the ADL, but rather a case in which their knee-jerk reaction was off-base, and just wrong.
Good thing too, because we’re all better off leaving this fight to enlightened thinkers like Pat Robertson and Sarah Palin.
The fact that a mosque is going to be built so close to ground zero is A BEAUTIFUL THING. That’s right, it shows how here in America we still do have some concept of what freedom means, and to echo our President’s voice, “We’re not at war with Islam.” Once this mosque is constructed, it will truly be a shining example of the religious freedom we have in this country.
Protesting a mosque being built is an admission that one cannot separate terrorism and extremism from the religion of Islam itself. If that’s the ignorant view that everyone has, then we might as well just tear down every single mosque in this country right now.
Tags: 9-11, anti-defamation league, conservatives, extremism, freedom, Islam, Jewish, mosque on ground zero, pat robertson, Religion / Spirituality, Sarah Palin, terrorism