Park51, as simple as I can make it.

[roninspoon]

‪This entire "Ground Zero Mosque Controversy" continues to baffle me. When I first heard of it‬ I passed it off as simple fear mongering rhetoric. The kind that would disappear when no one gave it any attention and treated it like the ridiculous escapade that it was. Except, the manufactured controversy only seems to have grown, feeding on itself.

Comments

[roninspoon]

You are correct, voicing opposition to Park51 is protected speech. Almost all speech is. I have not now, nor have I ever, advocated for denying people the right to speak their mind. It's something I feel very strongly about, and one of the reasons I joined the military, to protect that right for all people, as best as I could.

I never suggested that anyone should be prevented from voicing their opposition. I only stated that to do so was hypocritical for the vast majority of people who are doing so, and very likely the result of willful ignorance.

Voicing opposition, however, is different than demanding the government, either city, county, state or federal, prevent it. That is no longer "voicing opposition," it is impeding rights. It is just as offensive as someone demanding the government halt abortion, prevent gay marriage, prevent the sale of firearms, reduce state powers, or limit interstate trade.

There is a vast world of difference between saying, "this is a thing I do not care for, and oppose" and saying "this is a thing I demand my government to limit." The rights of the people are not granted by the government, they are recognized as inalienable. Any movement or demand by the constituency to limit those rights is complicit in their limitation.

[montieth]

A Great many of the opponents don't want the Mosque there. This is just as well as someone saying that they don't want a sign that says "God Hates Fags" at their son's funeral or "Kill all Niggers" sign across from Doctor King's Memorial in Atlanta.

Until the government actually halts the construction of the Mosque, there is no standing for a violation of their First Amendment Rights.

Speech that disagrees with your position is not a violation of rights. A great many people appear to be missing this point.

[trunkbutt]

If they don't want a mosque there, then they're getting their wish! Because the project does not include the construction of a mosque.

(Unless, of course, the local Young Men's Christian Association w/ chapel is actually a church.)

[montieth]

You might want to re-appraise your first statement.

http://factcheck.org/2010/08/questions-about-the-ground-zero-mosque/

Is it a mosque, or a cultural center?
It would be a cultural center with a mosque inside. The "Ground Zero Mosque" label is not entirely accurate, although it has been commonly used to describe the planned $100 million project. First, the proposed location is not immediately adjacent to ground zero (which we’ll get to in a minute). And while the facility would include a mosque, or a space for Muslim prayer services, the project’s organizers say that the mosque will only be part of a much larger "world-class community center" that will offer a variety of activities and resources, and will welcome all, without regard to religion:

Park51 website: While a mosque will be located in the planned final structure of Park51, it will be a distinct non-profit. Neither Park51 nor the mosque, which hasn’t been named yet, will tolerate any kind of illegal or un-American activity or rhetoric. The final size and location of the mosque have yet to be determined, but it will only represent a small portion of the final structure.

The mosque portion of the project certainly fits the general definition of a mosque, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as "a Muslim place of worship" with "an area reserved for communal prayers." For anyone worried about a mosque edifice looming over New York, it won’t look like the typical image of a mosque. The concept drawing released by the organizers lacks any domes or minarets.