In Support of the Mosque at Ground Zero
Scheduled to open September 11, 2011 in a building damaged by the attacks of September 11, 2001, the men and women of the Manhattan Community Board voted 29-1 in favor of submitting to the desires of a consortium of Moslems to build the “Cordoba House”. {Anyone care to comment on Spanish History?}
Well, I’m all for supporting this project as the center for Peace and a place to bridge understanding that these Moslems tell us it will be. How wonderful.
However, I would forbid occupation of the completed facility until similar centers of Peace and understanding can be built in Mecca by Christians and Jews. Surely, if goodwill is at the heart of this act of Moslem outreach, that same goodwill will provide the opportunity for a Church and a Synagogue in Mecca to show Moslems how peace-loving Christians and Jews are. If, as Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf argued, [The Mosque would help] “’bridge and heal a divide’” among Muslims and other religious groups, then allowing Christians and Jews to build outreach centers in Mecca would further serve as a bridge to heal a divide.
Mayor Bloomberg is simply wrong to support this project. Those who support the project simply for “tolerance” and “understanding” are either naive or myopically politically correct. As presented, the project is insensitive, offensive and confrontational. It should not be accepted nor allowed. Of course, as I said, if Christian and Jewish outreach centers open in Mecca on the same day, I will support the Cordoba House completely.
