The “ground zero mosque,” as you may well know by now, is not at ground zero. It’s not a mosque but an Islamic cultural center containing a prayer room. It’s not going to determine President Obama’s political future or the elections of 2010 or 2012. Still, the battle that has broken out over this project in Lower Manhattan — on the “hallowed ground” of a shuttered Burlington Coat Factory store one block from the New York Dolls Gentlemen’s Club — will prove eventful all the same. And the consequences will be far more profound than any midterm election results or any of the grand debates now raging 24/7 over the parameters of tolerance, religious freedom, and the real estate gospel of location, location, location.
Here’s what’s been lost in all the screaming. The prime movers in the campaign against the “ground zero mosque” just happen to be among the last cheerleaders for America’s nine-year war in Afghanistan. The wrecking ball they’re wielding is not merely pounding Park51, as the project is known, but is demolishing America’s already frail support for that war, which is dedicated to nation-building in a nation whose most conspicuous asset besides opium is actual mosques.
So virulent is the Islamophobic hysteria of the neocon and Fox News right — abetted by the useful idiocy of the Anti-Defamation League, Harry Reid and other cowed Democrats — that it has also rendered Gen. David Petraeus’s last-ditch counterinsurgency strategy for fighting the war inoperative. How do you win Muslim hearts and minds in Kandahar when you are calling Muslims every filthy name in the book in New York?
You’d think that American hawks invested in the Afghanistan “surge” would not act against their own professed interests. But they couldn’t stop themselves from placing cynical domestic politics over country. The ginned-up rage over the “ground zero mosque” was not motivated by a serious desire to protect America from the real threat of terrorists lurking at home and abroad — a threat this furor has in all likelihood exacerbated — but by the potential short-term rewards of winning votes by pandering to fear during an election season.
Are any of you in New York planning to go to the rallies to be a part of the manipulated, “look over there” crowd?
2 points the MSM don’t get:
1) It’s NOT a Mosque, it’s a community center, with a prayer space.
2) It’s NOT at ground zero, it’s about 3 walking blocks away, which in NYC is like being in another part of the City. You couldn’t even see the towers from there if they were still standing.
If we decide not to have the community center there, how about removing ALL Catholic Churches that are near, or have schools in them, after the debacle with priests molesting children. It would be in the same vain as this is.
Also remove all Roman Catholic churches. The RC Church was responsible for the Crusades, which killed MILLIONS!
Really, people have to get over it, and get a life. Build the damn thing wherever they want.
Any elected official who wishes to limit a groups rights to assembly, and practice their religion IN ANY WAY, should step down from office, or be impeached, because they are going against their oath of office, which states that they shall uphold the US Constitution!
#62 Rouser – My god, man! The Catholics are STILL killing people. Didn’t you see that documentary, “The DaVinci Code”?
Real adults see religion for what it truly is:
a mental disorder.
I don’t think Andy McCarthy is a religious expert, but he is clearly saying that the non-violent Christians are compatible with the Bible, in a way that Muslims would not be.
Frank Rich thinks complaining about the Ground Zero Mosque would cause US failure in Afghanistan? This is pure politics, as he has already declared the US failure in Afghanistan.
nytimes.com/2010/08/01/opinion/01rich.html?_r=1
nytimes.com/2009/12/06/opinion/06rich.html
nytimes.com/2009/10/11/opinion/11rich.html
There aren’t many religions that wouldn’t move such a place due to local antagonism. Israel comes to mind as another, but anyway…their insensitivity strikes me wrong.
That said, the GOP press took a non-story and conflated it beyond all it deserved.
I would normally warn against muslims, but it seem enough appreciate the sucidial aspect of allowing the islamic trash into this country. There is no reason we can’t deport them, and the mexicans lowering our standard of living right along with them.
Each muslim, peaceful or not, provides a support system for those engaged in jihad, either finiacial or emotional. Unless you want to condemm your children to Dihimmi status them you’d better loose the PC bullshit and start voting and doing things that favor your children and not what the leftist/elitist want. They’ve already gone over to the muslims and are buying property in Dubai.
Europe is lost, North America is the only non-muslim country left. It’s up to you, fight or convert. Remember this is the religion that believes it’s the woman’s fault for being raped and see honor rape as just.
Whatever……………………………….
Traaxx
I would believe the sincerity of the foam-at-the-mouth right wingers more if they had actually protested the establishment of this Islamic center MONTHS AGO when it was FIRST ANNOUNCED. It was in the newspaper, even conservative writers said no big deal. But then the Republicans decided to latch onto it as a wedge issue, started telling lies and half truths, and voila, manufactured scandal.
You wingnuts are such credulous, easily led, easily fooled idiots.
#60 The yes-man sheeple dallas has spoken. All clean the poop the sheeple left behind!
#61 Thy new nickname: PC Dreamer.
#6 People that do not learn from history, like you, are doomed to repeat it.
#68 You lefty PC think everyone else is as stoopid as you
The first anti-American President does Saul Alinsky well, it won’t be long before some seriously consider secession. Being ruled by a progressive minority, sucks.
#70 little pedro, if you weren’t protesting this thing back when it was originally announced, you’re looking pretty stupid now getting all bent out of shape by it. FYI.
#72 I’m not bent over backwards on the subject per se. I’m bent over backwards on your stupidity on this and many a subject here Fido.
If you think people are as stupid as you to discard all human history in order to accommodate your PC theory, you’re way wrong.
You are your friends are the only ones eating that demagogue BS that there’s nothing to the mosque, FYI
#73 Yes, I understand, little pedro. Your main goal here is not to take a stand or say anything intelligent, but to call people stupid. Gotcha.
Whereas I try to say something intelligent and then call you stupid.
#60. That pretty much sums this up.
Now that I taught you sheeple to “follow the money” , I invite you to learn the corrolary “follow the motive”. Both techniques are well know by crime solvers.
#74. Yup.
#74 Only in your dream could you think you said something intelligent. You and Dallas are the lamest sheeples in the blog. So, keep writing here that what you blab is “intelligent”, I know you need that to sleep at nights.
#74 Sheeple, time to clean your master’s backyard. Eat all that overgrown grass.
It is fun to observe the discordance fact scenarios that get reported on in the news.
1. Is this a Mosque? Evidently, the answer is no. No minarets. No morning call. There is only a “prayer room” just as is already up and running in the Pentagon. No argument about how close to ground zero that one is. Its “in” the Pentagon. So the answer is no and no one should be upset about a Mosque being set up. Or is there? Are other groups allowed to use the prayer room when not used by the Muslims? Can the room or the floor or the remainder of the building be “accommodated” to act as a Mosque?
2. Is the Muslim Leader behind this a radical or not? I hear both things. One side says he has repeatedly helped the USA gov gain entrance into Muslim groups back in the Middle East. Others say he has proclaimed Islam to the the one and only religion that is going to take over the world. If both positions are true, what do they mean on balance.
3. The source of the money to build this center is undisclosed. Could be from Saudi Arabia, other Muslim Extremist Funders, or who knows. Does it make a difference?
4. Many want to call this a zoning issue as if such issues remove any First Amendment Issue. They are wrong.
5. Many want to call this a First Amendment Issue as if such an issue removes all other Constitutional Issues like Treason or the combination of Politicas and Religion that Islam uniquely presents. They are wrong.
6. Why is the issue being raised now? Issues of timing do have relevance to some issues but not to all issues. All of the issues above have nothing to do with timing. 99% of timing issue discussion are a distraction.
Not that tv is the best source for authenticated info, but in 3.5 hours:
Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think
Muslims around the world offer opinions on prejudice, religion, gender justice, terrorism and democracy.
On PBS Monday Night (11PM PST) with repeats during the week.
I’m sure all our questions will be answered.
As most Tv networks are either owned by US defense contractors (like NBC is owned by GE). Or whose board members are also on corporate boards of US defense contractors. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that they’re all pro war, anti-religious freedom. And want to keep things stirred up, and make over blown issues of things that most people wouldn’t notice, if they didn’t tell them they should be angry about them.
Remember how they tried to blame that TWA Flight 800 crash on a missile? And some jerk of an ex-newsman, Pierre Salinger, bought into this “friendly fire” missile theory he got from a dodgy source. And all the Tv networks, rather than investigate it themselves, ran with it. Making big rating bucks off it. And also saving the bacon of TWA and the plane’s maker, Boeing. Both who used this to keep from being sued, and losing a huge merger deal. I’ll just bet Salinger got a big wet thank you from of corporate giants.
#78 I know a German guy that wants to help in Poland’s economic recovery & cultural harmony between Germany & Poland thru something called the Auschwitz Initiative. I know you’ll support it.
Well, I saw about the first 20 min of the tv show before I had to do something else. I’ll catch the rest of it later.
So far, seems like I have greatly misunderstood Islam. Most women enjoy wearing the hajib as it is compliant with Islam. AND Islam is a religion of Peace and only god should judge people.
Thats a relief.