Ground Zero Mosque

[SmartyPants]

I think building the Islamic cultural center so close to ground zero is insensitive.  Since the building will upset 9/11 families by reminding them of the motivation of the terrorist attacks, the location of the building needs to moved.  Even if the building should be moved for moral reasons, I don't think any part of the government has the right to force them to move.  The first admendment is pretty clear about freedom of religion, so the city, state, and federal government needs leave the mosque alone.  The people in charge of the project, not the government, need to sympathies with the 9/11 and move the center to a less controversial area instead of trying to make a political statement.

I do agree the project should be halted untill we find the source of the center's funding.  There is almost no domestic funding for the Islamic center and most of the money comes from countries like Saudi Arabia (which 15 of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers come from).  The project should be halted until it can be proven that the center isn't being funded by people who will use it to recruit people like Faisal Shahzad.

[CraigStern]

The uproar over its location seems rather overblown to me. The building they're using is just an old, boarded-up Burlington Coat Factory. Also, there is already an actual mosque right nearby that has been there since long before 9/11.

Besides, it's not like they're building a monument to radical Islam there. Imam Rauf (the guy behind the center) has long been dedicated to improving relations between the West and moderate Muslims around the world. That's the whole point behind the center. We shouldn't make the mistake of conflating violent radical muslims with all muslims.

[SmartyPants]

Besides, it's not like they're building a monument to radical Islam there. Imam Rauf (the guy behind the center) has long been dedicated to improving relations between the West and moderate Muslims around the world. That's the whole point behind the center. We shouldn't make the mistake of conflating violent radical muslims with all muslims.

I personally don't have a problem with it, but since many of the 9/11 families are upset by it, then the respectful action woud be to move it.  Would you build a German pride museum next to Mittelbau-Dora?  Not all Germans were Nazis, so would it be okay to build that there?

You never did comment about the funding.

[The Holy namelesskitty]

IT'S NOT A MOSQUE!!!!!! every time I hear anyone say that I want to scream, a prayer room the size of a small room is not the same. It's not only a sign of prejudice induced by fake Muslim assholes, it's unconstitutional to deny anyone the right to worship their deity, which I might add, is almost exactly the same as all Abrahamic religious deities, this is like the Skokie case except, more prejudiced, and less of a real threat. That land was bought fairly, it's just wrong to deny Islamic communities their rights due to the actions of some drug addicted idiots. lastly the prayer room will be two friggin blocks from ground zero. were this a church and Christians who committed the atrocity on September eleventh everyone would be donating land in the name of peace, This is just a case of extreme xenophobia. other relegions have faced the same when entering America, but are now just another face in the crowd, this will eventually hammen to Muslims, but how soon? That is why this should be done, to advance our progress as a country.

[ArtDrake]

The Muslims here have no connections to Muslims lead by a radical leader, other than a small similarity in religion. If an aeitheist went on a killing rampage (which happens quite often, I might add), would I not be allowed my right to free speech so I could speak out against the prejudice of the religious on the aetheists, calling us "godless radical liberal psychopaths unable accept the idea of community that are also damn Commies that want to take the joy, hope, and in fact, all emotions out of everything American"? 'Cause that's what they call us. And I say 1st amendment rights rule.

[bugfartboy]

If there is already a Mosque there, why build another one? HUMMM?

[ArtDrake]

Because this is a community center with a prayer room. It just happens to have a prayer room.

[SmartyPants]

A mosque is "a building used for public worship by Muslims".  Since the prayer room is built for muslims to worship, then it might as well be called a "mosque".  In case you haven't noticed, no one has denied the center from being built.  To build or not to build is a decision left to the people running the project.  I don't care what religion the terrorist are, but every American needs to respect the feelings of the 9/11 families.  What pisses me off is that the people building the project don't care about the 9/11 famliles' feelings and would rather make a political statement, then be sensitive to grieving families.

A founding member of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, Zuhdi Jasser, who is also the founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, a group of Muslim professionals in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona, strongly opposed the mosque, said,

"For us, a mosque was always a place to pray...—not a way to make an ostentatious architectural statement. Ground Zero shouldn't be about promoting Islam. It's the place where war was declared on us as Americans."

He also said,

"American freedom of religion is a right, but ... it is not right to make one's religion a global political statement with a towering Islamic edifice that casts a shadow over the memorials of Ground Zero. ... Islamists in 'moderate' disguise are still Islamists. In their own more subtle ways, the WTC mosque organizers end up serving the same aims (as) separatist and supremacist wings of political Islam."

[ArtDrake]

Good for him. Ground Zero isn't about promoting Islam. Two blocks north is about promoting Islam. There is ALREADY A "MOSQUE" THERE!! I really don't give a rat's furry about the grieving families. Shakespeare: Something along the lines of -- if you're still grieving after more than 3 months, you're fixating. I just can't find the quote right now.

We're the ones making the scene by revving up the debate, saying OMG THERE'Z TERRORISTS!!

If the "mosque" is to the North, it won't be casting a shadow on Ground Zero.

If you don't give his reasons for saying that the "WTC organizers" are "serving the same aims as separatist and supremacist wings of political Islam".

They're not interested in killing people, and they're not interested in enforcing religious domination on the United States; we wouldn't allow that.

What your idea is like is the idea that Germans shouldn't be able to make architectural statements in Jewish communities or near families who've had members survive or not survive concentration campts. Just because they'd want to make a German architecture piece does NOT mean that they're serving the same ends as the Nazis.

[The Holy namelesskitty]

I'm afraid you misunderstand, the community center will go as planned, despite your ill informed ramblings, perhaps that leader may have said some things, but Islam is a misunderstood faith, think of is as christianity with a few idiot nutballs who screw everything up for the rest of us.

[bugfartboy]

How do you know of this though? How is it that many countries in the East have been over run by them? That doesn't seem very peaceful.

[The Holy namelesskitty]

so are you saying that Islam is dangerous, or are people dangerous?

[bugfartboy]

I'm saying it CAN be dangerous.

[The Holy namelesskitty]

so can all relegions, would you give up Christianity because of that stupid idiot who said he would burn the Qu'ran?

[bugfartboy]

1)No.
2)That made no logical sense.
3)I'm pulling out of this for now.