Good Idea, Bad Idea: Ground Zero Mosque
I would post a link to a news article about this issue, except I can't find a neutral one. They all seem to have some slant (or landslide!) to the left or right politically.
Religious freedom is very important to me, so this issue caught my attention pretty quickly. It took much longer for me to figure out what I thought about it though. Here are my 2 cents on the issue:
YES, the government protects their right to build a mosque and community center wherever they want provided it meets whatever zoning codes they have for that area. They can make a 60 stories tall purple minaret shaped like a penis for all I care (actually that would be pretty awesome :D ).
NO, I do not think it is a good idea. If their goal is to further Islam and spread understanding and tolerance of their religion, then they probably shouldn't build one a block away from where a group of Islamic extremists bombed the hell out of America and killed a shit ton of people. If they build it, I think it will be one step forward, two steps back. The mosque will only become the target of vandalism and annoying protesters. I'll feel bad for them, but at the same time it's like waving a red flag at a bull, or in this case a bunch of angry good ol' boy Americans: Please discriminate against me!
Religious freedom is very important to me, so this issue caught my attention pretty quickly. It took much longer for me to figure out what I thought about it though. Here are my 2 cents on the issue:
YES, the government protects their right to build a mosque and community center wherever they want provided it meets whatever zoning codes they have for that area. They can make a 60 stories tall purple minaret shaped like a penis for all I care (actually that would be pretty awesome :D ).
NO, I do not think it is a good idea. If their goal is to further Islam and spread understanding and tolerance of their religion, then they probably shouldn't build one a block away from where a group of Islamic extremists bombed the hell out of America and killed a shit ton of people. If they build it, I think it will be one step forward, two steps back. The mosque will only become the target of vandalism and annoying protesters. I'll feel bad for them, but at the same time it's like waving a red flag at a bull, or in this case a bunch of angry good ol' boy Americans: Please discriminate against me!