Should a Mosque be built near ground zero?

[mrjizzbomber]

This seems to be eating up the news, and infuriating the hearts and minds of those who have no concept of what America is or what freedom means.

... I think I kinda gave away my opinion on this already, but I'd like to hear what the rest of you think before going into diatribe mode.

[AbramIsaac]

Absolutely.

Beyond that, my understanding is that there is already one closer than that near ground zero. This is four blocks away, and there is already a mosque two blocks away, I believe.

Listen, if people can hawk cheap trinkets at Ground Zero, why can't they hawk religion? I'm sure no one would care if this was a christian church being built.

[Just Silver]

Why not muslims were also killed in 9/11 attacks to think its racist is pretty pathetic

[mcZu]

I'm against it. Purely out of the reason that it's bad PR for Muslims. People are claiming that Muslims are building a symbol of victory on ground zero (while in fact it's a couple of blocks away from Ground Zero, and it's not even a full fledged Mosque.. It's a Community Center with a prayer room).

Now, wether people would react the same if they were to build a Church or a Synagogue, that's a different story. But the fact remains that people will think even more negative about Muslims.

And those people aren't racist, they lost someone on that day. It's just normal human behaviour to be against it.

People are under the impression that Muslim extremists attacked the US on 9/11 (wether that being true or not.. I'll save that for another time), so it's perfectly normal to be against a Muslim building being built on Ground Zero. Of course, that doesn't mean that those people should hate muslims, however, they have the right to be against it.

On the other hand I believe that it's just a way of covering up some other issues. Because the media is fully focused on this issue, they don't even look at the fact that the president's administration has asked the Congress for nearly $2.775 billion in security assistance funding "specifically for Israel" in 2010.

But then again, that's a different story.. I shouldn't even be bringing that up.

Why build something that's supposed to bridge the gap between people when the majority of the people in that city don't want that particular building being built? Honestly, I don't see how that Community Center/Mosque could build bridges. It looks more like it's going to destroy the remaining bridges.

[mrjizzbomber]

I've recently "followed" Obama a little more closely than I usually care enough to do. I know whats going on in the world, but I don't give a shit about politics, 9 out of 10 times it doesn't matter who is president they're all really going to do the same thing. But I read his comment on this and it was dead on.

On Saturday, Obama said he:

"was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there."
"I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding," the president added. "That's what our country is about."

My thoughts: People need to be stop acting so absurdly racist and at least honor basic freedoms... Do some not see just how prejudiced they are? Fuck - this is really analogous to saying all whites are clan members.

BUT, its also not a WISE idea, because ultimately the people founding this church should know that its going to cause unnecessary anger. Although it just makes the people protesting it look like dumb hicks or some shit.

On a side note, this has made me really notice the job Obama is doing as president... now that I'm paying attention, I think Obama is doing the job well. I'm not talking about his positions on things or how the country is doing... I'm just saying he does the job of president well.

... I've never understood the huge issue when the president takes a weekend off. He works the large majority of weekends... do you? Its not like the country is going to fall to shit because hes not at the office.

But the way he handles things, I just respect it.

To handle a situation like http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=8208602&page=1 in a neutral way, to not HAVE to take a side or make a statement with every issue. Imagine what most politicians in the same role would have done.

Like, I cant understand the reason people blame him for the Gulf Disaster. I sort of feel the same way about Katrina and Bush... although with Katrina it was more of a natural disaster, so it was the responsibility of the government to handle the situation. In the gulf disaster BP was the ones who had to stop the well. The government gave all the aid they had to, other than that but what could they do?

And now his take on the mosque.

[SilverLining]

I think they have the constitutional and legal right to build a mosque there, like any other religious organization would, but I understand why some people are upset about it. But like it was said already, it's not even going to be a full mosque. Just a community center with a prayer room on the 4th floor, if I recall correctly. People are making a big deal out of this, but it's really not.

@mcZu

You're right, it's inappropriate to bring up Israel in this conversation.

[Shit Can Happen]

Hello. I am a male from a Muslim background. Years ago my entire family was killed in my house by a group of overzealous Bible thumpers in an act of hate. Now there is a Church being built near my house. I am protesting the existence of this Church because I feel that it is insensitive towards my loss.

I wonder how many people are going to support me.

What's that? Nobody? Nobody on Fox News feels my pain and supports my position? That's what I thought.

That was a fictional example by the way, but you get the point. I know there are over 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks but there are over a million Muslims in America and the message that is being sent to them is that people believe that 9/11 was an attack perpetrated by Islam as a whole rather than by a sect of fanaticals. It bothers me that this has turned into an issue of being "sensitive" to the families who lost someone that day, because America has been nothing but supportive and loving of all the victims and their families, whereas it is innocent Muslims who go through unprecedented amounts of "insensitivity." It is a slap in the face of normal every day Muslims for people (yes, even families of 9/11 victims) to say that a mosque/community center being built near Ground Zero is a slap in the face to said people. THEY (average Muslims) did not kill your family members and friends. THEY can practice their religion anywhere they want and your suffering doesn't give you a free pass in taking that right away from them.

And I love all the headlines stating "mosque AT Ground Zero" to stir retarded people up even more, as if there is literally going to be a mosque on the very spot that the World Trade Center used to be, like some kind of victory flag or something. Fuckin' sensationalist redneck cunts.

[mrjizzbomber]

The voice of TR is surprising me in this topic, in a good way

[Emadyville]

First I'd like to say that Zu, what you wrote was a great response to this and I really respect your thoughts on this for that

The problem I have with this includes 2 things. For one, if it was any other religion building there this wouldn't be an issue. And secondly, why would they even think about building a mosque there?

I do think that the outlash about this is racially and religiously driven, and I say for all those who didn't lose someone on 9/11, and I feel like Zu does on this point about that. Our country is supposed to be about freedom, so how can we say they shouldn't build their mosque there? It's bullshit I feel, but that's my opinion.

On the other hand, I think them trying to build it there is completely disrespectful, and is fully the reason I don't think they should. Let me make this clear, I agree 100% they should be allowed to build their mosque anywhere they'd like, but I feel they are wrong to want to do it. If we went into Japan and wanted to build anything in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, whether a place of worship or not, I would be against it as well. To me it's just disrespectful, even though no one alive today who was part of the bombing there would be building or using it, I still think it'd be fucked up because American's dropped the bombs, and American's would be building there. This whole thing lacks common decency or respect in my opinion. But then again, I don't believe muslims or Al-Queda were involved in 9/11 anyway, but that's not what this is about.

[psu24]

No, while I agree everyone should be able to express their religious beliefs whatever they may be but this case is different. I have nothing against Muslims or any other religions but was or was it not mainly Muslims who attacked the Twin Towers? Just asking. Again I have nothing against them but in this case I don't think it should be allowed. If a group of Christians flew planes into some of the most important buildings in Iraq or Iran for pretty much no reason whatsoever i'm pretty damn sure there not gonna let someone build a Christian church over top of it. There's no fucking way it would happen and you know it.

Woah didn't even see the one post, Shit Can Happen i'm sorry about your loss that's horrible but i'm sure it wasn't for religious reasons. No matter what the reason is it would suck and I understand why you'd feel that way but I just don't like people generalizing a whole religion. There are good and bad in all religions and that's the truth.

[Shit Can Happen]

^ lmao, as I said in the post, that stuff didn't actually happen and I was just using it to prove a point. Thanks for the thought though.

[psu24]

lol my bad thought you were serious. The think that gets me about this whole thing is the US has more tolerance concerning religion than most other countries yet people, same with the immigration laws, other countries are stricter yet we get bashed for doing anything. Try building a Jewish or Christian churches in Muslim territory, it won't happen.

[mrjizzbomber]

lol my bad thought you were serious. The think that gets me about this whole thing is the US has more tolerance concerning religion than most other countries yet people, same with the immigration laws, other countries are stricter yet we get bashed for doing anything. Try building a Jewish or Christian churches in Muslim territory, it won't happen.

I feel the opposite. I thought (hoped) our country was much more tolerant than we seem to actually be. And don't compare us to other countries, America is *supposed* to be the world leader - the PROGRESSIVE country.

[MikeNUFC]

My views are summed up here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ero-mosque

And read it all....

[fopower]

My views are summed up here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ero-mosque

And read it all....

Read it. Loved it.

It's like he took the thoughts right out of my head and put them in the article...but laid them out alot better than I ever could.