The proposed 13 story mosque at Ground Zero

[Hew]

What a disgusting affront to American sensibilities.

Here's an ad that NBC and CBS have already said they won't air: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjGJPPRD3u0

And here's some commentary on the proposed mosque. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjS0N...eature=related This guy is a lib Englishman. I've been watching his videos for some time as he's usually pretty funny; but he's always thought-provoking.

[Franco]

It is a slap in the face to every American citizen!

And they know that.

[Blackstone]

I am not sure why they would even want to build a cultural center anywhere near ground zero. It seem in particularly bad taste, regardless of how it is intended.

[Franco]

It is their way of testing us, to see how much they can get away with and how far they can push us.

They know Americans are largely apathetic and preoccupied with personal interest. That we have become mentally soft.

[gman0046]

They want the mosque as a show of victory on 9/11. They can do it because we has a muslim president.

[Blackstone]

Is it a mosque or a cultural center? The organization building it claims it is a cultural center open to everyone in the community. I'm still not happy about it because of where it's located. Seems like they could do just as much for the community if they built it somewhere else.

According the the leader of the Cordoba Initiative:

"The project has been mischaracterized, so I want to explain clearly what it would be. Our planned 13-story community center is intended for Park Place between Church St. and West Broadway. It is not a mosque, although it will include a space for Muslim prayer services. It will have a swimming pool, basketball court, meeting rooms, a 500-seat auditorium, banquet facilities and many other things a community needs to be healthy. The center will offer theatrical programming, art exhibitions and cooking classes. These are amenities missing now from this part of the city.

And, yes, the center will have a public memorial to the victims of 9/11 as well as a meditation room where all will be welcome for quiet reflection. The center will support soul and body.

The center will be open to all regardless of religion. Like a YMCA, the 92nd St. Y or the Jewish Community Center uptown, it will admit everyone. It will be a center for all New Yorkers."

[Franco]

I wouldn't expect them to state thier real intentions of why the choose this location.

[YardleyLabs]

I figure it's easy. Either permit or outlaw all churches, Certainly the people killed in the WTC represented a very wide range of nationalities and religions, including a pretty significant number of Muslims, Hindus, and other non-Christians. The terrorists who caused the destruction didn't care about the religion of the victims, or their nationality, and they certainly didn't represent Islam. They represented their own insanity and hate. The fact that the KKK says it is defending Christianity doesn't make it so. Christianity does not deserved to be measured by the KKK or the Spanish Inquisition and Islam does not deserve to be measured by Osama bin Laden and his bands of evil fools.

[Gerry Clinchy]

I figure it's easy. Either permit or outlaw all churches, Certainly the people killed in the WTC represented a very wide range of nationalities and religions, including a pretty significant number of Muslims, Hindus, and other non-Christians. The terrorists who caused the destruction didn't care about the religion of the victims, or their nationality, and they certainly didn't represent Islam. They represented their own insanity and hate. The fact that the KKK says it is defending Christianity doesn't make it so. Christianity does not deserved to be measured by the KKK or the Spanish Inquisition and Islam does not deserve to be measured by Osama bin Laden and his bands of evil fools.

I never thought of KKK as being religiously oriented, any more than the Nazis. I can admit to being less knowledgeable about theology than many others here may be. However, I don't know that anywhere in the New Tesstament of the Bible where Christians are directed to spread their faith by killing those who do not accept Christianity. While Christians may have done this in an aberrant interpretation of Christianity, I don't think it is a "directive" to kill in order to purify the world. While Islam, I believe, does have such a directive within its theology.

So, the KKK and The Inquisition where NOT following their religion, but rather were giving an unfounded interpretation of Christianity. Killing infidels, OTOH, is part of Islam's tenets. (I stress my limited knowledge in this latter regard, so am open to correction.)

It may also be of some significance that the Imam from NYC who was called upon after 911 as "counsel" in the aftermath of 911 later turned out to be a radical himself. This might make one suspicious of the motives of the rest of the community that this Imam represented.

Would we encourage the placing of a swastika on a historical center at Auschwitz even if the center were of a community/educational nature? If space in this "community center" is allocated specifically to Muslim prayer, it conveys to me making the area "holy ground" for Islam.

There already exist zoning ordinances in many places which preclude having "churches" in certain areas of municipalities. In fact, not long ago there was a case of such an ordinance (not that I support that) being used to preclude private gathering of a prayer group in a private home. (I don't know what the end result of that was.)

The final thought that occurs to me on this would be why the group proposing this center would persist in this project & not respect the sensitivities of the New Yorkers? To acknowledge the pain of New Yorkers would be a true act of good will. Simply making a large donation to a community center in the area, without superimposing any Islamic religious "stamp", with a suitable plaque expressing the condemnation of violence on behalf of peace-loving Muslims would be more impactful, and acceptable, I think.

[ducknwork]

Christianity does not deserved to be measured by the KKK or the Spanish Inquisition

So you don't think organized religion is all that bad after all?