A Matter Of Right & Wrong

Notwithstanding the likelihood that the majority of people living in Japan in 1941 were good and god-fearing people, the flag of that country would never be flown atop a monument at Pearl Harbor. The Americans who perished in the name of that flag, would not have been disrespected as such. Not all southerners in 1863 were dedicated to the despicable practice of chattel slavery, yet it would be inconceivable to dedicate a portion of Gettysburg to that misbegotten Confederacy. Although a Confederate shrine or a monument dedicated to Imperial Japan would be protected under the first amendment, they would, nonetheless, be considered morally repugnant by the majority of American citizens.

Two blocks away from Ground Zero, at 51 Park Place, lies a plot of land that will likely house a 13 story, $100 million, Islamic mosque and cultural center. In the name of “tolerance”, President Obama, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo have publically endorsed this project. The latest polls show that nearly 70% of Americans are opposed to the idea of a “super-mosque” standing at the edge of Ground Zero. This national distaste for the Islamic center is not a product of institutional bigotry, nor does it imply an American loathing for all things related to Islam. Rather, it is a matter of national pride, a sincere desire that this hallowed ground remains free from intrigue and controversy.

It is in the name of patriotism that Americans are presently requesting that this mosque be built elsewhere in the city. Governor David Patterson has generously offered state owned land to foster this relocation. However, the planners of the Ground Zero mosque have declined to accept the Governor’s offering. The American people understand that there is nothing illegal about building a mosque in such close proximity to Ground Zero. Yet, we can’t help but view this endeavor as an affront to our national pride, an insult to the memories of our dead. Although Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf claims that he is erecting this mosque in the hope of “bridging the gap” between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities, the opposite result appears more likely. Inflaming the passions and challenging the sensibilities of American citizens will result in a bridge to nowhere. It would serve to trivialize a gruesome attack on American soil in which thousands of our brethren perished.

Imam Feisal, President Obama, Mike Bloomberg and Andrew Cuomo claim that American opposition to the building of this mosque is a symptom of mass intolerance. I respectively disagree. The perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks, and their terrorist cohorts at large, have hijacked the Islamic religion. This is an unfortunate fact that I believe most Americans are aware of. However, these attacks and countless others were, in fact, committed in the name of that religion and, in some respects, the two cannot be arbitrarily separated. Whether or not to build a mosque so near to the site of such a raw American tragedy is not a question of legality. It is a matter of right and wrong. In my opinion, proponents of this plan are revealing an extraordinary irreverence for the feelings of the American public. In Mr. Obama’s defense, it is not within his presidential powers to effectively resolve this issue. This same pardon, however, cannot be granted to Mayor Bloomberg and Attorney General Cuomo. Each of these officials have a duty to insure that the money being raised for this “cultural center” is devoid of connections to terrorism. We Americans take great pride in our country; we are a tolerant and forgiving people but, some things are simply improper. Legal proprieties aside, building a mosque so near to Ground Zero is a morally offensive act.