It's interesting the left suddenly loves private property and freedom of religion in the wake of the Mosque controversy. The NYT and Time have done nothing but paint Catholicism with one broad brush with the molestation scandals. But Islam is off the table when it comes to criticism?
There's the legal right issue, of which there's no doubt the Mosque is well within its rights to build, and the symbolic and emotional angle. Which, naturally, is far more complex to disentangle. As it stands, the majority of New Yorkers/Americans are against the idea. Does it make them ignorant? Is it in fact a Constitutional issue?
It doesn't help that apparently the main dude behind the community center has made what can be construed as controversial comments about American foreign policy and its role in the 9/11 attacks.
Personally, I don't think being against the Mosque is bigoted or even ignorance. It's just drawing a line in the sand that's all. I don't see anything wrong in debating this.
Once again, this becomes a battle between the major ideologies and not necessarily about religion.
Anyone saying Islam is above criticism would be wrong, but I think most people you are painting in this light are not saying you can't criticize Islam, only that you can't physically stop them from practicing their religion.
ReplyDeleteAlso, seriously... how many times do people have to point out it's not a mosque, though there has been a mosque within a couple blocks for decades. I guess because Faux News keeps reporting it wrong.
This whole thing is a big hissy fit that exposes how ignorant and intolerant so many of us are. I have read the Quran and as a result I hate Islam more than anyone I know, but that doesn't mean I have to pretend I have the right to oppose their decision to build a community center. Americans can posture and publicly debate it all they want, it just exposes us for what we are. There's nothing tangible they can, or should, do.
If any of them want to get petty about it, they can open a pulled-pork sandwich stand out front, and I'll laugh at their creativity, but most of these jackoffs who oppose this don't even have two brain cells to rub together, so you can't expect even a spark of ingenuity... just whining and bitching, like spoiled infants.
I think you're right.
ReplyDeleteAnd if they succeed in preventing it from being built, I don't think it's cause for celebration.
Here in Montreal, my father in law helped build a Catholic Arab church. It comes with "minaret" style domes. Though I haven't heard aynone say I'm sure many people think it's a Mosque since Arabs go there.
Yeah, it's alll a bullshit tactic for Republicans to seem more pro-America while distracting from the fact that they just screwed over the heroes who searched for survivors in the rubble. Sometimes America can be so embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteShit, that last line can be applied to almost any damn country!
ReplyDeleteAt least if this was going on in my backyard while living in Canada, France, the Netherlands, etc. I would be able to go to the hospital for the high blood pressure its giving me. In America, we don't hate outsiders, we just hate everyone... even our own people.
ReplyDeleteBut I digress. On the other side of the coin, it's good to know people can rally and protest whatever they want. I just find it hilarious that more people died on 9/11 than are protesting this construction project today. If you can only get hundreds of people for a protest in New York City, you're only pulling in NAMBLA numbers.
A distraction, a crap issue, a diversion from the real issue of job and small business creation.
ReplyDeletePart of me thinks it's a crap issue and part of me is not so sure. I'm soooo confused!
ReplyDeleteA crap issue is the one up here in Canada about the government making the long form census survey voluntary as opposed to mandatory. Imagine that, no threat of jail time and fines and PEOPLE STILL ARE FIGHTING IT ON FACEBOOK!
Dorks.