The “Ground Zero” “Mosque” is as aptly named as “Joe” the “Plumber.” It’s not a mosque, and it’s not at ground zero. It’s an Islamic community center and it’s at like ground zero minus three blocks. But, it does seem to be shaping up as a pretty representative sample of our stupid political discourse. The narrative bears only a passing resemblance to the facts on the ground, then the cable news shows fill up with people shouting at each other about it, and the serious news people can’t be bothered to talk about right or wrong, or even who is telling the truth, but only the implications for this week’s poll numbers.
That bleeds over into a barely informed populace, too busy trying to keep their heads afloat in a marginal economy to keep informed of even the big things, let alone zoning decisions in Manhattan. They hear a little bit, assume other things, and then it’s off to the races. “EVIL MUSLIMS DEFILING HOLY GROUND!” Emotion and an opinion are a powerful cocktail – strong enough to keep viewers watching through the next commercial; sometimes strong enough to induce a vote or, even better, a candidate contribution.
Briefly, my opinion on the matter: a) not much of my business, it’s a local land use issue; b) it’s not on “hallowed ground” – it’s a couple blocks away, and they have bars, strip clubs, and off track betting in the immediate area; c) it’s not a mosque – it’s a community center that has an area for prayer; and d) trying to tag Muslims as a group for 9/11 is like trying to tag Christians for the acts of a few child molesting Catholic priests. As the Daily Show pointed out, opposing an Islamic Center based on 9/11 is like opposing construction of a church next to a playground based on those Catholic priests.
But, really, it is probably the subject of a lot of national discussion because it’s symbolic and has very little concrete impact on most people’s day-to-day lives. This makes it easy to talk about in the abstract. People seem to be better able to find common ground on issues with more grounding in their own everyday reality. Abstract issues seem more likely to make people belligerent.
Well put Doug. Especially the last paragraph.
Doug Masson for Congress!
The republicants keep seizing on these hate issues in an attempt to drive more voters to their side, but at what cost to America? Short term gains in votes, but long term and immediate danger to our way of life. Remember how they started the whole teabagger thing with the slogan we want our freedom back? Yet the whole movement is about hate and taking away freedoms from those not like the teabaggers. The gop is to blame for the spread of this ignorance and hate. Yet we still have candidates running in Indiana on the values and family theme claiming they will protect us from that socialist Obama and his left wing, socialist, liberal horde of Acorn registered illegal aliens and America haters who hate god and freedom. Yet the republicants are the ones who hate America. And now mitch is reluctantly letting people talk him into running, even though he is very reluctant to do so, for president, perhaps, but he won’t say he is, reluctant as he is to do so.
What a sorry bunch of politicians and people who cannot take the time to learn about their party and candidates for office.
Do people who oppose the mosque oppose churches near the former Oklahoma City Federal Building? How about in Waco, Texas? Would a church near the devastation at Hiroshima and Nagasaki cause such outrage? The people who committed those heinous, murderous acts claimed to be Christian, just liked the “terrorists” killed in the name of Islam. Religious fundamentalism is dangerous, regardless of who does it. I don’t understand why people can’t make the distinction between these extremists and the millions of peace loving Muslims all over the world.
Well, some simply don’t want to make the distinction; it’s convenient not to. But for most, I suspect it’s just that Muslims are an Other with whom they never come into contact – 9/11 may well be their most direct contact with Islam. And all they ever hear about the religion is tied into news reports where some Islamic nation is fighting Israel or is engaged in some violent act that makes the news.
On the flip side, they know lots of Christians who are just regular people, so when a Christian commits a violent act, the religion doesn’t get the blame in their heads.
I have no problem with a private investment to create a mosque or islamic community center 600 feet away from ground zero. However, my understanding is that the dedication ceremony is currently scheduled for 9/11/11. Scheduling the dedication ceremony of an islamic community center on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 seems very insensitive to me.
Sensitivity has never particularly been my thing, so I’m probably no good at recognizing what might be an affront to more delicate sensibilities. But, I think it’s only insensitive if one equates the 9/11 attacks with Islam generally. If one recognizes that American Muslims were killed in the attacks, such a commemoration date seems reasonably appropriate.
Maybe an analogy would be an airplane pilot’s memorial. Their were pilots who died on 9/11 and it would be appropriate for them to be recognized on that date. But, it could be construed as an affront if pilots generally were tagged with the acts of the malevolent, poorly trained piloting of the terrorists. Of course, we’d never think of such a thing because we have plenty of experience with pilots who do useful things like get us from airport to airport everyday. Most of us aren’t familiar with peaceful Muslims in our day-to-day lives; even though there are millions of them in the U.S. and over a billion world-wide.
Doug: many Americans do blame Islam. I don’t know how many, but I would guess this amount dwarfs the number of people that are of muslim faith and would have picked this choice of dedication dates.
Just to be clear, I am not saying it is correct for these people to blame Islam. However, recognizing the fact that many people do blame Islam (partially for the reasons outlined in the 2nd paragraph of your response), the choice of dates will only upset these people more. Even if the religion of Islam is not to blame, why antagonize people that are already upset by doing what they will consider “rubbing their noses in it”?
I don’t know anyone’s reasoning behind this in particular, but I would suggest that people with irrational beliefs about another group of people need to be antagonized a bit to knock them out of their comfort zones and maybe reevaluate their thinking.
For example, I used to have the notion that gays maybe ought to go the civil union route instead of the marriage route to avoid antagonizing people who were uncomfortable with gay marriage. Now, I think they’re right to push for equal rights as equal citizens.
Surely you recognize a difference between an abstract conversation convincing you that gay marriage is a right, and concincing a 9/11 widow not to be concerned about Islam, and further convincing her that the creation of an Islamic community center isn’t a slap in the face? I think the widow is already well out of her “comfort zone”
Not so incidentally, it appears that the claim that the center will open on 9/11 is false – going to my previous point about how media outlets aren’t going to trouble their pretty little heads about whether people on their shows are telling the truth or not. And are 9/11 widows really pushing the opposition to this thing? (And, if so, are we letting 9/11 widows of American Muslims weigh in?) Or is this really more media furor whipped up by hucksters like Glenn Beck and Pam Geller?
And if we can tag all Muslims with the attacks of 9/11, requiring them at the least to be sensitive to the feelings of those who may blame Muslims generally 9/11; is it then appropriate to impute dishonesty and bad faith to everyone who is advocating against this center based on the acts of the likes of Beck and Geller? Shouldn’t opponents of the center at least be sensitive to the growing sense of many that the factual bases of those who oppose the “Ground Zero” “Mosque” are untrue?
Think about it this way: Some random evangelical Christian nutjob bombs an abortion clinic. The local evangelical community is outraged and horrified that this person is doing evil in their name. They build a community center in the nearby area to promote peace and understanding in the hope that people will come in and begin to see them as they are. They hold a dedication on the anniversary of the bombing to commemorate the victims and repudiate the violent act committed in their name. That isn’t a smack in the face to the victims. It honors them and helps begin to heal the rift that divides the community. Why can’t people see that this is what this Muslim community is trying to do?
Godod to know! See….. this means that even the islamic center knew it was a bad idea to open on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. :-)
And to answer the second part: I don’t know who is “pushing the opposition”. I know some people are upset, partially because the media has talked about “the controversy” more than clarifying the facts. I generally don’t care much about actions and buildings in NY that don’t affect me, but this issue has been sensationalized and the media has blown this out of proportion. IMHO, a building is just a building. The (supposedly) awkwardly timed celebration was the only issue.
People are angry due to their lost jobs, crappy feelings, loss of political power, long costly wars, assumed loss of morality of the Nation, etc, etc, etc. They just needed a catalyst to express those feelings. Most of “those people” would be raving and ranting about something else if it weren’t for this issue.
I think between 9/11 and G.W. Bush we’ve managed to turn our nation of hopeful, globe spanning optimism into a cynical, angry, depressed, mob. If the folks who were promoting the “mosque” hate would turn just a 10th of their energy toward motivating people to work harder, volunteer, and cut back on things to increase their savings, we’d probably see a huge shift in sentiment.
But that doesn’t sell eyeballs, so let’s just bring on the hate.
What scares me is not this discussion about the “mosque” but that we’ve been in this “rut” for years now. Everything is “hate” this and “division that” and NOT about how we are all Americans, under one very explicit set of rules in the Constitution, with a very specific set of laws on how to get things done and solve problems. And I’m scared that we will NEVER go back to that, even if we have some nationwide tragedy, like another 9/11, to bring us back together. We’ve proven that we can’t stand together for more than a year when attacked. We’ve proven we can’t work together in relative peace. What’s left? Should we just formalize everything and split up the nation? Or are we destined to stumble along like a drunken, bi-polar mad-man until China takes over the world?
Man, I’m depressed about our prospects now.
We need a new “morning in America”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-IBF8nwSY
A side note, but worth stating: have any of the OMFGMEEWSLEMS crowd seen what a “block” looks like in NYC?
Hint: it’s quite a larger span than your home on LakeWoodBrackenSprawl Lane.
Nobody seems very upset that there are 2 operating “gentlemen’s clubs”
within a few blocks of the WTC site.
The people with resourcers that are keeping this ejmphasis on a connection between Islam and Ground Zero (which before 9/11, dictionairies defined as the place where a nuclear bomb imploded/exploded} going, are those who think it is in their best interests to do so. Absolutely despicable are they.