Sometimes a person can’t win no matter what he or she does. Speaking out publicly on an issue? You’re butting your nose in where it doesn’t belong. Remaining silent so your name is kept out of it? You are silently consenting to a twisted truth set forth by your political opponents.
Civil rights activists did it. Feminists did it. And now, the President of the United States has done it … and being “hen-pecked” extensively for it.
Barack Obama, who a frightening percentage of Americans believe is Muslim despite significant proof to the contrary, found himself between the proverbial rock and hard place recently with regard to the “Ground Zero Mosque.”
Speaking to Muslims observing the holy month of Ramadan at the White House on Friday, Obama asserted that Muslims have the right to build the planned mosque, citing freedom of religion as a core American value.
Yup, freedom of religion. That goes back to the very same U.S. Constitution that the Tea Partiers pontificate on again and again and again … as it suits their political agenda, of course. That President Obama made the same point, and in a far more legitimate and real life situation then much of the right-wing spinmesiters, must have the Tea Party grinding its collective teeth.
Look at the mess Sarah Palin made of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque. It’s simply disgusting.
Perhaps even more disgusting, though, is the implication that Obama is perpetuating Islamic terrorism through his support of a house of worship.
“He is ignoring the will of the American public,” former Sen. Rick Santorum, who represented Pennsylvania in the Senate, told Fox News on Friday. The community center would “desecrate the ground of those who were murdered by people who practice the faith, or at least an element of the faith, that is being represented by that mosque.”
“Islam is not just a religion, it is also a political doctrine,” Santorum said.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. also weighed in, calling the plans for the mosque “insensitive.”
“President Obama is wrong. It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground zero,” King told the AP.
What really pisses me off here is that there were rumblings that Obama’s silence on the subject was silent consent … and fed the “see, he really is a terrorist” mentality. Obama had the guts to say that, and most must realize that it would be literally against the law to ban the mosque — but yet he’s made accurate connections to outcries against past constructions of churches and synagogues, and now he’s taking hard-core heat for being “insensitive.”
Obama made it very clear that his remarks on the subject were not based on “the wisdom” of constructing an Islamic community center in the ghostly shadows of the twin towers but merely on the principles of treating all Americans equally “in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion.”
I find it refreshing to hear a world leader speak frankly and honestly not just as a political figure but as a regular person.
“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” Obama said.
“That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances,” he said. “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.”
“Time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values and emerge stronger for it. So it must be and will be today,” Obama said.
And, as New York Daily News columnist Joshua Greenman pointed out, Obama had nothing to win by speaking out here. He did it not for political points, which he will almost certainly not win, but because it was, simply put, the right thing to do.
“There’s little political upside for a president already seen by some as soft on terror, a president whom 1 in 10 Americans insanely believe to be a Muslim, to back the right of this house of worship to locate near the site of the 9/11 attacks,” Greenman wrote.
“He deserves credit for not continuing to sidestep this wrenching question. And for standing on principle,” Greenman wrote.
And as Obama himself emphasized, “Al-Qaeda’s cause is not Islam—it is a gross distortion of Islam.”
People are pretty rabid on this, though.
One commenter on Greenman’s column said that the hostility towards Christians and Jews in Saudi Arabia justified failing to accommodate Muslims in New York.
“Yes, Islam is just another religion Mr. President…. Just like Nazism is a religion,” the commenter wrote. “Do you support a 100 million dollar Nazi shrine near Auschwitz as well?”
Nazism was not a religion—it was a political movement. Islamic terrorism is a political movement.
Grouping the religion of Islam with Nazism is comparing apples to oranges. A more accurate side-by-side study would be to think of Nazism as Christianity run amok, ergo a church built near Auschwitz would be a truer comparison.
And that’s just patently ridiculous.
Absolutely agree with freedom of religion, everyone’s entitled to believe in God, Allah or Pink Unicorns, they all make the same sense to me. However, as for the church – didn’t this Muslim organisation (I refuse to call them Córdoba House, because it fucks me off big time*) think it would be a tad insensitive to build a massive Muslim place of worship so close to the Twin Towers, which were destroyed by people acting in the name of Islam? It is a provocation, and it is certainly not going to bring cultures together. It is just going to deepen the gap between (American) Muslims and (American) non-Muslims. And most importantly, I think they knew the controversy this would create and still went ahead. I cannot believe there aren’t other properties farther from Ground Zero, where noone will oppose the building. Or noone will oppose the building with an actual valid reason.
*I am sick of Muslims talking about Al-Andalus, Córdoba or Granada. That happened 1,000 years ago, it feels as if they are claiming them back.
woops, *as for the MOSQUE.
I think building a mosque down town Manhattan (and let’s be clear- it is not next to the mythical ‘Ground Zero’- it is two blocks away. Also note, that a mosque already exists 3 blocks away from where the Twin Towers previously stood- apparently one block really makes a difference when it comes to Americans releasing outcries of protest) is EXACTLY what grieving Americans need. They need to see Muslims practice their religion in peaceful manner, and become supportive members of the community. Americans need a reason to stop blaming an entire religion for a few fanatics- and what better way than open and constant interaction with the religion that has been wrongly blamed?
I don’t think building this mosque down town is insensitive at all. This is a religion saying ‘let us show you who we really are, and clear this up once and for all’, and that is incredibly admirable.
Congresses and activities to bring Islam closer to people, yes. A massive building close to the Twin Towers is very provoking. They knew where they were getting into, you can’t deny that. If they were sensible they wouldn’t be setting themselves up for this.
I can’t say it any better than Wicked 7 so I won’t even try.
Hell, comparing Islam and Nazism isn’t apples and oranges; it’s more like apples and cinder blocks. And do the wholesome Christians own ground zero now that it was blown up by Muslim extremists? This is kind of patently ridiculous. Apparently the Tea Party only believes in freedom if they’re the ones getting all the freedomz.
Obama is in a no win situation here as Katie stated. I also think he did a very good job in answering the question posed to him and I do agree with him.
He is on a slippery slope here. Freedom of religion is one of the most important aspects of the United States of America. That being said, I do wonder about the intentions of the Muslims who are backing this mosque. Why would you want to build on a site with so much ill will? I also wonder about the alledged funding of the mosque, specifically where is the money coming from? Is money being received from terrorist organizations?
I do believe that this situation should be monitered closely.
Well said, Katie. Well said, The Wicked 7.
It’s going to be built two blocks away, and there’s already a mosque three blocks away? Wow, people are really making to much of one block. I believe there’s an element of ignorance going on for a lot of people out there. They automatically assume the mosque is going to be built right on top of the twin towers.
I think a lot of people also forget that it wasn’t only christians that died on 9/11. There were muslims too, also some of the first responders and rescue were muslims.
You can’t really be that stupid!? If you can’t see the difference between a Mosque that was already there, prior to 911 & building a victory center your either another anti-American Muslim or a liberal. I always love the argument that muslims died there too, yea Muslims died there, 19 of em, they flew the planes into the towers; so I guess this justifies the victory center.
It was more like 56 of them, and they were employees and scared people on hijacked planes.
I’m surprised at your ability to write, because it indicates an ability to read, yet you’re stupid as hell…
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I believe in private property ownership rights. If the property is zoned for that usage,then its up to the owner. I pay property taxes in three states,that will influence your opinion. But,its not a good way for muslims to make friends in the big apple,and with 24% of the American people wondering if your a muslim or not,its probably best to STFU prez!
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On one hand, I think the mosque IS in poor taste (it can’t be a coincidence that they’re building a 13 floor mosque blocks away from where islamic extremists committed the most heinous act of terrorism North America has ever seen — even if this mosque and those extremists have nothing in common aside from the Koran); on the other hand, they’re in the right here. Props to Bloomberg and Obama for defending the constitution.
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His Royal Highness, Barrak Hussain Obamma, has stated he is a Muslim; therefore, along with the rest of his anti-American policies he supports the NYC Muslim Victory Center overlooking the hole in the ground he & his ilk created.
After all, it’s a Muslim tradition to create a monument on or overlooking the sites of their victories. They got the bragging rights & need to flaunt em.
“His Royal Highness, Barrak Hussain Obamma, has stated he is a Muslim”
And he also said he wasn’t born in America and that the Hawaiian birth certificate is a fake…
Really, did he tell you this personally? And was it after a serious session of possibly illicit substance use on your part?