Chances are that you have heard a lot about the 13-story cultural center and mosque planned at a controversial length from Ground Zero.
I’ll get right to the point: The arguments for and against the center are compelling.
Opponents of the mosque point to the initial name “Cordoba House” as a reference to Islamic conquest and cite a groundbreaking that was initially planned for September 11, 2011 as evidence that the mosque is not about reconciliation, but about triumph and supremacy. They point out the questionable funding of the project, the refusal of the builders to even consider an alternative location (after public outcry seemed certain to convince them that their “healing mission” was planned quite poorly), and disturbing comments made by the mosque’s future Imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf,. In these statements Rauf compares America to Al Qeada, refuses to call Hamas a terrorist organization and states his goal that “…Israel will, in our lifetimes, become one more Arab country, with a Jewish minority.”
It is notable that the opposition is not over the right to build the mosque – in fact, while most Americans oppose the construction, a similar majority of Americans feel that the developers are entitled to build. So how does this massive group reconcile these beliefs?
Their answer is simple:
They have the right to build it, but building it isn’t right.
The supporters disagree. They feel that the outcry over construction is proof positive of how important the center is. Many argue – convincingly - that to condemn or otherwise censor and entire group for the actions of a minority strikes at the core of American values. Some in support of the project view the debate itself as an opportunity to display the values of free speech. And, certainly, the law itself is quite clear and the binding authority. While many against the mosque point to discrimination at the heart of the Muslim world, supporters view this as all the more reason to turn the other cheek.
Supporters argue that either we are a tolerant society, or we are not.
Ultimately, the decision to commend or condemn rests with each of us.
