It looks like the fear mongering over gay marriage, abortion, socialism, and immigration might have to take a back seat as the right wing has a new wedge issue to use in the 2010 midterm elections: Islamophobia.
Politicians and the media have fed the hysteria over the mosque at ground zero when there is no mosque being built at ground zero. The mosque being built is two blocks away from ground zero and includes a Muslim community center modeled after the YMCA that will have a gym, swimming pool, culinary school, and a prayer room. This center will be open to all faiths who live, work, and visit this area of NYC.
Protecting the unpopular is what our Constitution assures that we do, but politicians and TV talkers firing up the anti-mosque storm have put their own prospects before this nations principles. Politicians see it as a wedge issue, and are stoking religious intolerance against Muslims as a way to galvanize voters in November.
The Islamic extremists who flew into the towers did not represent true Islam any more than the KKK (a terrorist organization born and raised in the USA) represents true Christianity. Those terrorists on 9/11 represented an extremist fringe that espoused what the vast majority of the world's Muslims consider a perversion of their faith. There are enough zealots and extremists of all faiths to go around, and enough blood shed over the centuries by all of them.
To some degree I can understand the sensitivity issue, but even the 9/11 families who are willing to speak on the issue are divided. If it's not so much about the right to build the mosque, but rather how close it will be to ground zero then the question would seem to be how close is too close. If the real issue is location, how far from ground zero is far enough.
Two blocks away is too close, yet there's already a mosque four blocks away. There are over a hundred mosques in NYC where about 1.4 million Americans choose to worship. I haven't heard any outcry about the interdenominational prayer chapel in the pentagon where Muslims hold daily services 80 feet from where the plane struck on 9/11.
This sudden concern by certain politicians for the sanctity of ground zero is suspect after all but 12 Republicans in the house voted against health benefits for 9/11 responders just last month. As with most "wedge" topics they distract us from the real issues, and this one allows "patriots" to revive the insidious rumor that President Obama is a closet Muslim.
This statement implies that there's something inherently wrong with being a Muslim, and while I take the President at his word claiming to be a Christian, he has the right just as any citizen of this country to worship whatever God he sees fit or even no God at all.
Even President Bush was a statesman after 9/11 by reaching out to Muslims and speaking of Islam as a religion of peace. Now many conservatives are cynically turning this Islamic center into a national issue in hopes of gaining votes.
I noticed this article while reading this mornings paper.
-On this date in history, upset Apaches protested plans by Spaniards to build a church, San Xavier del Bac, in the Santa Cruz Valley. "This is how it starts. This place is sacred to us. This is just salt in the wound," said one Chiricahua warrior. The debate over the proposed "mission" and Catholic cultural center near Native American lands raged for minutes.- The Arizona Daily Star 8/28/2010
Politicians and the media have fed the hysteria over the mosque at ground zero when there is no mosque being built at ground zero. The mosque being built is two blocks away from ground zero and includes a Muslim community center modeled after the YMCA that will have a gym, swimming pool, culinary school, and a prayer room. This center will be open to all faiths who live, work, and visit this area of NYC.
Protecting the unpopular is what our Constitution assures that we do, but politicians and TV talkers firing up the anti-mosque storm have put their own prospects before this nations principles. Politicians see it as a wedge issue, and are stoking religious intolerance against Muslims as a way to galvanize voters in November.
The Islamic extremists who flew into the towers did not represent true Islam any more than the KKK (a terrorist organization born and raised in the USA) represents true Christianity. Those terrorists on 9/11 represented an extremist fringe that espoused what the vast majority of the world's Muslims consider a perversion of their faith. There are enough zealots and extremists of all faiths to go around, and enough blood shed over the centuries by all of them.
To some degree I can understand the sensitivity issue, but even the 9/11 families who are willing to speak on the issue are divided. If it's not so much about the right to build the mosque, but rather how close it will be to ground zero then the question would seem to be how close is too close. If the real issue is location, how far from ground zero is far enough.
Two blocks away is too close, yet there's already a mosque four blocks away. There are over a hundred mosques in NYC where about 1.4 million Americans choose to worship. I haven't heard any outcry about the interdenominational prayer chapel in the pentagon where Muslims hold daily services 80 feet from where the plane struck on 9/11.
This sudden concern by certain politicians for the sanctity of ground zero is suspect after all but 12 Republicans in the house voted against health benefits for 9/11 responders just last month. As with most "wedge" topics they distract us from the real issues, and this one allows "patriots" to revive the insidious rumor that President Obama is a closet Muslim.
This statement implies that there's something inherently wrong with being a Muslim, and while I take the President at his word claiming to be a Christian, he has the right just as any citizen of this country to worship whatever God he sees fit or even no God at all.
Even President Bush was a statesman after 9/11 by reaching out to Muslims and speaking of Islam as a religion of peace. Now many conservatives are cynically turning this Islamic center into a national issue in hopes of gaining votes.
I noticed this article while reading this mornings paper.
-On this date in history, upset Apaches protested plans by Spaniards to build a church, San Xavier del Bac, in the Santa Cruz Valley. "This is how it starts. This place is sacred to us. This is just salt in the wound," said one Chiricahua warrior. The debate over the proposed "mission" and Catholic cultural center near Native American lands raged for minutes.- The Arizona Daily Star 8/28/2010
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