The "Mosque" at "Ground Zero"

Pre-College Issues High School Life
41

<p>Ummm when I conduct salat (praying) with a group of people in my basement, it does not make my basement a mosque. Ergo, the Islamic community center is not a mosque, either.</p>

<p>I hate when people use the attack, “Saudi Arabia doesn’t have churches! Why should we build mosques?” Yep, we should totes be just like Saudi Arabia: a theocracy without a constitution.</p>

42

<p>

</p>

<p>Muslims died, too… and no, not the terrorists, but other people as well.</p>

43

<p>Yes, I take issue with that too. In fact, Christians annoy me more than people of other religions.</p>

<p>If that were to happen today, I would have the same issues though. I would want to see them brought to justice for their crimes and would oppose the construction of a church, but once again the government cannot interfere with that.</p>

44

<p>They did not stop. I still found numerous sources during his presidency saying that he was a muslim.</p>

45

<p>^^^ Sure, you’re right. 9/11 was an attack by Muslims with religious causes. That is why I think it would be insensitive. I do think they should be allowed to build the place, whatever it is.</p>

46

<p>

How so? Are you saying that the KKK is affiliated with all of Christianity? Last I checked, they were violently opposed to my part of Christianity.</p>

<p>Oh, I get it. They’re not, just like al-Qaeda is not affiliated with all of Islam, and is violently opposed to other parts of Islam. People are just ignorant. Gotcha. Though I would still say there are more pertinent points.</p>

47

<p>This s**t is ridiculous. Think about all the ground zeros America has built in the mid-east. It’s not even at ground zero, it happens to be 2 blocks away. Theres another mosque that is 4 blocks away with no problems. And BTW, there is a mosque at the pentagon with also no problems. Its all politics.</p>

48

<p>

</p>

<p>Precisely.</p>

<p>In fact, I’m not sure if this has already been mentioned or not, but the community center now named “Park51” (It was formerly named Cordoba House, but the named was change because Newt Gingrich wouldn’t shut up about how Cordoba symbolized Islamic terrorism) has only two of its thirteen floors that contain prayer rooms. The funny part is, Muslims have already been using the building for prayers for a year. The $100M expansion by the Khan family is what caused the media to take note.</p>

<p>You can’t even see the building from Ground Zero. You’d literally have to walk two whole blocks from the northeast corner of the site, where a nondescript building stands that has no dome, no minarets, and no huge sign saying “mosque” or “Islamic center”.</p>

<p>I truly despise those politicans such as Gingrich and Sarah Palin, who are using this as a venue for which to exploit for political campaigns in the hopes of turning it into a major issue that will lure voters away from the Democrats when, in reality, the issue is extremely unimportant and shouldn’t really have any controversy at all.</p>

<p>I’m a Muslim American, btw. Just my two cents. :)</p>

49

<p>Nobody seems to remember that there were non-terrorist Muslims who died in 9/11 too…</p>

50

<p>This whole issue has really made me sick. I believe that they have all the right to put the center there, but I understand why people are so against it. </p>

<p>The thing that has infuriated me is how much Americans have publicly come out against Islam as a whole. I’m disheartened hearing about Qur’an burnings and how Islam isn’t even a religion, but a cult. </p>

<p>I also believe it’s funny how when Obama was running for president everyone was up in arms about him being in a church with an alleged anti-white priest. Though, now many believe he is a follower of Islam even though he spent over twenty years at said church.</p>

51

<p>The same people at that got on him for the Reverend Wright thing are the ones calling him a Muslim. </p>

<p>I’m disappointed in the ignorance of america.</p>

52

<p>Anyone who is not okay with it is a stereotyping racist…</p>

53

<p>There’s a ‘gentlemen’s club’ the same distance from Ground Zero as the proposed ‘mosque’</p>

<p>So…this whole ‘omg mosque would be an insult’ is completely stupid. Clearly a gentlemen’s club is fine, ain’t it?</p>

54

<p>I haven’t read this whole thread, so I apologize if I repeat a point already made.</p>

<p>I don’t have a problem with Islam. It’s a religion. Whatever. Good for them.
If people of my religion (Catholicism) went and completely slaughtered thousands of people out of nowhere in the name of God, I would not be pushing to practice my religion so close to their mass grave. It doesn’t matter that I wasn’t involved. It doesn’t matter that most Catholics are not like that. It’s disrespecting the dead.
Muslims have a right to practice their religion, but I just wish it wasn’t there.</p>

55

<p>It seems you guys also use Digg</p>

56

<p>I have no problem with them building the center, they have as much right as a Catholic and a Jew. But, I just don’t like them building it so close, to the 9/11 sight. There’s still missing bodies, and human parts in the area. I think the area should be a memorial or something.</p>

57

<p>I completely agree with everything the OP/porkperson said. Thank you.</p>

<p>Coming from a fellow muslim:</p>

<p>If Obama didn’t support the building of the community center/ mosque it would only show that the bigots won this one. I really appreciate Obama for supporting the project.</p>

<p>Everybody needs to calm down I dont see the big deal. If it was something like building a nazi center next to a holocaust museum that would be a different story.</p>

<p>It’s called freedom of religion. I don’t even understand why building the mosque is offensive when REALLY the people that were responsible for then 9/11 attacks are seen as UNISLAMIC and UNACCEPTABLE in the muslim community.</p>

<p>I don’t see the big deal about it and everyone should let them build it wherever they want.</p>

<p>Also, it’s [stupid] people like Sarah Palin that are ignorant promote this kind of bigotry.And YES we muslims are also Americans. </p>

<p>Have we [the muslims] become the new Jews of this generation?</p>

58

<p>This is perfectly legal and in that sense I can only support its construction.</p>

<p>However let’s look at this post that was brought up in another thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065450426-post477.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065450426-post477.html&lt;/a&gt;

I feel too that this a fairly strong analogy as to why I cannot help but feel a lurch in my stomach. Regardless of what it symbolizes and its exact intent, the community center’s even slightest association with the hatred responsible for what happened at Ground Zero makes me question the sense in putting it by there (of course there is a limit to this even; obviously I am not opposed to Islamic community centers in general and the fact that it’s not really at GZ but a few blocks away sort of mitigates that feeling).</p>

<p>

Interesting how Obama’s administration really stood by American principles here:
<a href=“http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/us-defends-pakistan-move-to-block-images-250[/url]”>http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/us-defends-pakistan-move-to-block-images-250&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

59

<p>Furthermore, I’d like to raise a question that I began to sort of look at in another thread: Does religion deserve unique protection under the 1st Amendment, or does it simply deserve the same generalized protection under which most forms of speech/expression fall (freedom of expression)? It seems the 1st Amendment was written in a time when religious persecution was not only a threat but a reality, when specifically establishing a freedom of religion made sense. Today all the rightful purpose of protecting religion (where it need/ought/should be protected) could still be achieved and the heightened status relegated to religion when it does indeed contradict with the law (you can find quite a bit on this) removed. We get into trouble when we treat a conglomeration of thought, speech, and expression as one entity and expect it to all be right or all be wrong.</p>

60

<p>monstor344:</p>

<p>You can ‘prove’ anything with an analogy if you’re choose your example well. But why are we talking about drinking/drunken drivers in an argument about religion?</p>

<p>How about this:
Would you object to a random Christian church being built near a war memorial because of what the Westboro Baptist Church does?</p>

<p>It’s not a perfect analogy, but it’s still better than the other.</p>