How do you feel about a mosque at "Ground Zero"?

How do you feel about a mosque at "Ground Zero"?

I did this backwards.

I think that is the most UnAmerican thing that could be done.

from the Washington Post:

A peace-making mosque is NECESSARY near Ground Zero

Peace does not fall from the sky, or come about by ignoring the need to teach tolerance. Peace is made, and it is made because courageous individuals reach out toward one another and do the difficult work of overcoming hatred and fear. It is for this reason that it is absolutely NECESSARY for a Islamic cultural center and mosque, run by Muslims who are seeking interfaith-understanding and peace, to be built nearly the site of 9/11.

Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, one of the organizations driving this mosque project, points out the need for moderate Muslims, such as the people behind this project, to step forward. "People often say, 'Where are the moderate Muslim voices?' A building like this, with this scale, will be an amplifier for that often silent majority...What most people don't know is that the people who are driving this forward are very integrated into the community downtown. We are nothing to be feared."

One of the ways to change the narrative of Muslims as aliens in America, people who should be feared, is to create another narrative by living into a new relationship. This mosque and community center can help do that.

It is also a terrible thing for Muslims to not have their losses on 9/11 acknowledged, and this Islamic site, I believe, should honor those innocent victims of the terror attacks. There were many Muslims killed by the terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center buildings. Muslims like Salman Hamdani, a young New York City police cadet and part-time ambulance driver, who was about to start medical school. He was found under the rubble of the North Tower, his EMT medical bag beside him, apparently killed while trying to help those injured in the attacks. A Muslim waiter at a Tower restaurant, Mohammad Chowdhury, died on 9/11, leaving his pregnant wife to give birth to their child 48 hours after the attacks, making their child the first 9/11 orphan. There were Muslims on the hijacked planes, including a young couple traveling to a friend's wedding. The wife was 7 months pregnant. Family members, however, were barred from taking flights to her memorial service. Her mother said, "I would like everyone to know that she was a Muslim, she is a Muslim and we are victims too, of this tragic incident." It is an awful thing to lose a family member, a child, a beloved friend in such a violent attack. But these Muslim families ended up often being singled out for blame, not for support for their losses. This mosque should honor their loved ones who also died in this senseless, brutal assault and help them find some peace.

There are many reasons why this mosque near Ground Zero is a good idea--it is a way to actually make a change for the better in this country, deal directly with the fear and suspicion directed at Muslims for no reason other than the fact that they are Muslims, and also address as yet often unacknowledged public sorrow for Muslims who lost loved ones on 9/11.

It is, in fact, NECESSARY to act your way into the change you want to see. Peace and tolerance don't just happen. They happen because kindly and brave people like Daisy Khan try to make it happen.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 19, 2010; 5:46 PM ET

from the Washington Post:

A peace-making mosque is NECESSARY near Ground Zero

Peace does not fall from the sky, or come about by ignoring the need to teach tolerance. Peace is made, and it is made because courageous individuals reach out toward one another and do the difficult work of overcoming hatred and fear. It is for this reason that it is absolutely NECESSARY for a Islamic cultural center and mosque, run by Muslims who are seeking interfaith-understanding and peace, to be built nearly the site of 9/11.

Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, one of the organizations driving this mosque project, points out the need for moderate Muslims, such as the people behind this project, to step forward. "People often say, 'Where are the moderate Muslim voices?' A building like this, with this scale, will be an amplifier for that often silent majority...What most people don't know is that the people who are driving this forward are very integrated into the community downtown. We are nothing to be feared."

One of the ways to change the narrative of Muslims as aliens in America, people who should be feared, is to create another narrative by living into a new relationship. This mosque and community center can help do that.

It is also a terrible thing for Muslims to not have their losses on 9/11 acknowledged, and this Islamic site, I believe, should honor those innocent victims of the terror attacks. There were many Muslims killed by the terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center buildings. Muslims like Salman Hamdani, a young New York City police cadet and part-time ambulance driver, who was about to start medical school. He was found under the rubble of the North Tower, his EMT medical bag beside him, apparently killed while trying to help those injured in the attacks. A Muslim waiter at a Tower restaurant, Mohammad Chowdhury, died on 9/11, leaving his pregnant wife to give birth to their child 48 hours after the attacks, making their child the first 9/11 orphan. There were Muslims on the hijacked planes, including a young couple traveling to a friend's wedding. The wife was 7 months pregnant. Family members, however, were barred from taking flights to her memorial service. Her mother said, "I would like everyone to know that she was a Muslim, she is a Muslim and we are victims too, of this tragic incident." It is an awful thing to lose a family member, a child, a beloved friend in such a violent attack. But these Muslim families ended up often being singled out for blame, not for support for their losses. This mosque should honor their loved ones who also died in this senseless, brutal assault and help them find some peace.

There are many reasons why this mosque near Ground Zero is a good idea--it is a way to actually make a change for the better in this country, deal directly with the fear and suspicion directed at Muslims for no reason other than the fact that they are Muslims, and also address as yet often unacknowledged public sorrow for Muslims who lost loved ones on 9/11.

It is, in fact, NECESSARY to act your way into the change you want to see. Peace and tolerance don't just happen. They happen because kindly and brave people like Daisy Khan try to make it happen.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | July 19, 2010; 5:46 PM ET

That is a great politically correct answer and its also a bunch of BS! I think we should put a memorial in NagaSAKI or Hiroshima. Put it 20 blocks away and nobody will care! They have to know its a sore topic and bad idea. Im thinking you are the one who needs help(if you believe this. There better be protests against this!

That is a great politically correct answer and its also a bunch of BS! I think we should put a memorial in NagaSAKI or Hiroshima. Put it 20 blocks away and nobody will care! They have to know its a sore topic and bad idea. Im thinking you are the one who needs help(if you believe this. There better be protests against this!

Why don't we just round up all the muslims and hispanics and put them in detention camps like we did the Japanese during WWII? We considered the Japanese living here during that time to be the enemy. Then we could just concentrate our hate in a smaller area.

Because peaceful Muslim citizens building a mosque and community center near ground zero does not threaten me, nor does it give any kind of message to the terrorists. If it gives any message it's that we won't be intimidated by them. That we are moving on as a country and rebuilding. This is not a slap in the face to anyone. There are other places of worship near ground zero. Should we prohibit catholic churches from being built near playgrounds because some priests sexually abuse kids?

That is a great politically correct answer and its also a bunch of BS! I think we should put a memorial in NagaSAKI or Hiroshima. Put it 20 blocks away and nobody will care! They have to know its a sore topic and bad idea. Im thinking you are the one who needs help(if you believe this. There better be protests against this!

Why do I need help if I am not offended by a mosque and community center being built 2 blocks from ground zero?

And "there better be protests against this" - why don't you go to NYC and protest this? You can attend some of the meetings they are having about it. I am sure they would welcome an outsider's opinion. You could go with Sarah Palin who wants people to "refudiate"* this mosque.

*and we thought bush butchered the English language

Edited July 20, 201016 yr by Cleo's Mom

Why do I need help if I am not offended by a mosque and community center being built 2 blocks from ground zero?

And "there better be protests against this" - why don't you go to NYC and protest this? You can attend some of the meetings they are having about it. I am sure they would welcome an outsider's opinion. You could go with Sarah Palin who wants people to "refudiate"* this mosque.

*and we thought bush butchered the English language

Because it doesnt offend you!

Because Im afraid of getting blown up!

Tell me how putting this near ground zero is going to help me or anyone else learn about islam. I could learn just as much if it where 10 miles from gz. Its going to make non muslim Americans hate them even more! I havent heard anyone other than muslims say they are in favor except you, which leads me to my next question, are you mus, oh never mind.

Tell me how putting this near ground zero is going to help me or anyone else learn about islam. I could learn just as much if it where 10 miles from gz. Its going to make non muslim Americans hate them even more! I havent heard anyone other than muslims say they are in favor except you, which leads me to my next question, are you mus, oh never mind.

I don't think Bloomberg is Muslim, in fact, I think he's jewish and Andrew Cuomo is another non-Muslim and they both support it. Plus those on the NY committee who approved the building/use of it, I doubt they were all muslims.

A mosque is a place of worship. I would not be going there. I'm not sure what the community center would involve but you could make the argument that we don't need libraries, we can just go to bookstores or read/order books online. And I doubt it is going to make people hate Muslims anymore than they already do. I think that ship has sailed.

And no, I'm not Muslim. I am not going to get into a pi$$ing match with you. You are all about war-mongering, hating Muslims and lumping them all in with terrorists and someone with that mindset is not worth debating. And like I've posted before, Americans have always had to have some sub-group to hate and blame for everything: immigrants, blacks, Japanese, women, mexican, muslims....

Edited July 21, 201016 yr by Cleo's Mom

I've read on various websites that it is common for the Islamic terrorists to erect mosques at places they've destroyed in order to show their dominance over the people of that area. I don't know if it's true or not but it doesn't sound unreasonable for these people to do something like that. And your insane if you think that there are no terrorist sympathizing Muslims in this country who will look at this as nothing more then a monument to their dominance over the people of new york and the united states. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of muslims in this country that are just as disgusted with the terrorists as most of the rest of us are. But sometimes you need to sacrifice for the greater good of the nation. There is no catholic church or baptist churches built at this site so why does a mosque need to be there? They know it's making people uncomfortable and downright angry so why pursue it? What is the meaning behind having this mosque here vs 5 miles from here?

@ Cleo's Mom - Thank you for posting the Washington Post article. It is a well written and we should all take the lessons of peace and tolerance to heart. Cleo is very fortunate to have such an enlightened mom.

I've read on various websites that it is common for the Islamic terrorists to erect mosques at places they've destroyed in order to show their dominance over the people of that area. I don't know if it's true or not but it doesn't sound unreasonable for these people to do something like that. And your insane if you think that there are no terrorist sympathizing Muslims in this country who will look at this as nothing more then a monument to their dominance over the people of new york and the united states. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of muslims in this country that are just as disgusted with the terrorists as most of the rest of us are. But sometimes you need to sacrifice for the greater good of the nation. There is no catholic church or baptist churches built at this site so why does a mosque need to be there? They know it's making people uncomfortable and downright angry so why pursue it? What is the meaning behind having this mosque here vs 5 miles from here?

Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel are near ground zero. Additionally, the building already exists and is used about once a week by Muslims. The plan is to expand it and make it a mosque and community center.

It is privately owned and if it doesn't violate zoning laws I don't see how the government can dictate how a private owner can use his land. Those on the right are always yapping about big government and losing rights, blah, blah, blah, well if any government agency told a private owner that he couldn't build something that met all zoning requirement you know what would hit the fan.

That being said, there are terrorists among us. We all know that. Remember Jihad Jane, a caucasian woman and Richard Reed and Timonty McVeigh? They don't all look like middle easterners. And those terrorists don't need a mosque to meet. They can meet anywhere.

And what are these websites are you citing that say that terrorists erect buildings at sites they have destroyed? Where has this happened? What buildings have they erected and where?

St pauls is part of the trinity church. But that point aside both were built close to 200 years before the twin towers were built. Let's compare apples to apples here cm. Noone is trying to build a new church like the Muslims are trying to build a new mosque. Do a little google search about jihadist building temples over places they've "conquered".

St pauls is part of the trinity church. But that point aside both were built close to 200 years before the twin towers were built. Let's compare apples to apples here cm. Noone is trying to build a new church like the Muslims are trying to build a new mosque. Do a little google search about jihadist building temples over places they've "conquered".

Here's the "apple" (re: the building where the mosque will be):

The five-story building on Park Place, a few blocks north of Wall Street, was completed between 1857 and 1858 and is an Italian Renaissance-inspired palazzo. It formerly housed a department store, which closed after the building was damaged on Sept. 11. Muslim prayer service is held at the building at least one day a week.

The church is 200 years old, this building is 152, so what's your point?

I did the google search. Couldn't come up with anything but I'm sure you can give us your websites.

@ Cleo's Mom - Thank you for posting the Washington Post article. It is a well written and we should all take the lessons of peace and tolerance to heart. Cleo is very fortunate to have such an Enlightened mom.

Thank you. :thumbup: