This issue seems to be a simple one to me.
There are certain truths we should agree on. First, Moslems have a right to practice their religion freely in this country, as do members of every faith. Second, a landowner has a right to build a structure and use it for any purpose permitted under applicable laws and rules. Given the foregoing, the Mosque proponents have a legal right to build the Mosque as and where they want.
That does not make it the right decision. Ground Zero is, for most Americans, hallowed ground like the Gettysburg and Pearl Harbor battlefields. Generally, memorials to those who sacrificed their lives there are erected at such places. I think it is fair to believe that the proposed Mosque and cultural center amount to a monument to a great Islamic "victory".
If the motives of the developers are pure, if it is true that they believe in fostering understanding and cooperation between Islam and America, then they should look for an alternative location. Putting the Mosque so close to Ground Zero, given the passions that have been stirred, cannot achieve those goals.
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I was going to opine about this but you said it all. Both sides are right. A) They have the right to build it wherever they want to. B) However, common sense should prevail on their part as they should understand the emotional climate in this country at this moment and build it elsewhere.
Obama is right when he says that they have the right to build it there but he has also said that he is not happy about it.
Today's headline in the D&C says "GOP ready to run with Mosque Issue". There is no issue. This is America. A country based upon the freedom of religion. For anybody to make this an issue is not right but there is always someone who will try to make a mountain out of a molehill. I still hope they rethink the location of the mosque as the peaceful moslems, of which they are the vast majority, could use some good ink for a change.
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