Maybe New Yorkers should have a say, but the nonsensical victim mentality of those from all over the United States who oppose the construction of an Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan is just ludicrous, as is the number of Senators and Congressmen weighing in on the issue for purely political reasons.
The demonstrations and the mob mentality are just awful with their assumptions that all Muslims are terrorists and that this lower Manhattan neighborhood is " hallowed ground" (oh puhleeeze-- the neighborhood is full of everything from fast food to strip joints). Frankly, I think it is just crazy. But then these seem to be the same people who want to think of America as a " Christian country" ( their brand of Christianity of course) and who simply won't believe that the founding fathers very firmly rejected the notion of a State religion.
Have these folks thought about what a slippery slope they are on? If you can reject the construction of a mosque today, then a Mormon center, a Synagogue, a Christian Science Reading room, or an Evangelical Christian Megachurch could be next.
Oh yes, and by the way, what kind of message are you sending to the Muslim street in the Middle East... or in Dearborn, Michigan for that matter? Let's see,half of Pakistan is under water and millions of Muslims are in terrible shape there and desperately in need of help, and all you can think about is stopping a Sufi imam and his congregation from building a community center in downtown Manhattan that caters to the larger community and incorporates a mosque-- wow-- who are the assholes in this picture hmmmmm?
For those of you who don't know it, Thomas Jefferson rewrote the New Testament taking out all references to miracles and the divinity of Jesus. George Washington though officially Anglican, was a deist who did not often attend church and never took communion. He used to leave after the sermon whenever he could and while he was a believer in God, he was not religious. Boston and Philadelphia were founded by religious dissenters who knew very well what religious bigotry wedded to political power could do.There was a reason that our constitution mandated not only strict separation of church and state, but also, tolerance for all faiths, no matter how oddball-- and we have got some pretty oddball religions here, I must say.
As long as church and state are truly separate, neither the Taliban nor the Southern Baptists can force their religion on anybody but they are both free to practice their religion without fear. Their protection is our protection too . So, just shut up and stop whining OK? You might be surprised at how it all turns out.
