Zoning

by Pat McMahon/KTAR (August 16th, 2010 @ 1:49pm)

I haven't publicly commented on the proposed Mosque near Ground Zero for a number of reasons. I'm not a Muslim. I don't live in New York and the only thing I lost in the destruction of the World Trade Center was some of my innocence.

I've visited Ground Zero and, along with the overwhelming feeling that this was truly a solemn, sacred place, there was also an annoyance, a frustration at the self-serving bureaucracy that has allowed it to remain a huge, ugly pit because no one can agree on what should be there -- after nine years.

The new Yankee Stadium was completed almost overnight, but a memorial for 9/11 -- not even close. But around the corner, there's been a design, an architectural plan and the funding to back and build a new Mosque and Islamic Center. Some, many in New York leadership, say it's the perfect example of the freedom of religion in America.

And, all the way across the country, here in Arizona, I say absolutely not! Build it a mile away. Build it at the other end of Manhattan Island. But, not a stroll from Ground Zero. It's an affront. Just as many perfectly acceptable things are unacceptable -- in the vicinity of Arlington, Normandy or Auschwitz -- a Mosque at that place will only cause perpetual pain.


Last 5 Comments

  • Reply Abuse Vote
    Republican Scare -Tactics Never Ends...
    No more war
    ...ooo, be afraid, be very afraid. ...Sorry, Republicans, ain't fallin' for it...again.
  • Reply Abuse Vote
    And why not...
    gilbert armenta
    Muslims are Americans too, period end of story and we should afford them the same rights and dignity we afford other groups. How many muslims died in the world trade center? It was more than 100, so why should we dishonor them? ISLAM did not attack the WTC on 9/11 hate did; Hate in the guise of a few crazed me. To adjust our lifestyle and begin to hate, just as the men who commited the attacks on 9/11, is more a monument to terror and a sign of EXTREMIST victory than any mosque that could ever be built.
  • Reply Abuse Vote
    Ground Zero is a War Zone
    Paddy B
    The attack on the World Trade Center was an Act of War upon a civilian target, killing over 3000 civilians by Muslim extremists. Muslims also have a history of erecting mosques at or near battle sites, as a way of thanking Allah for their victory. To erect the mosque there would tell them we surrender. They Win.
  • Reply Abuse Vote
    If it's about zoning
    Cheryl S
    Zone a BBQ or better yet, a pig slaughterhouse next door. There is NO reason to put a Mosque near ground zero that doesn't involve rubbing the fact that THEIR brethren committed this heinous act. All it will do is cause the survivors (and all the rest of us) pain. How can this be a GOOD thing for their religion to do?
  • Reply Abuse Vote
    Agree
    2cents
    To deny that this is a laugh-in-your-face, stake-the-flag gesture is pure naivety. There is a point at which tolerance gives way to foolishness. The gesture alone is a test of our wisdom or lack thereof.
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