Why I Believe that a Mosque Should Be Built at Ground Zero in NYC

The proposed mosque and cultural center to be built about two blocks from Ground Zero has sparked a great deal of controversy. I, like the vast majority of Americans in this country, was profoundly affected by the attacks of 9/11. I spoke with a man in New Jersey on that day, who did not know if his sister-in-law was going to make it out of one of the Towers. (Unfortunately, she did not.) My stepdaughter had a stepsister who worked in one of the Towers. (Fortunately, she was running late for work that day.) And the stories go on. The scars upon our collective national psyche are still there; however, we need to also keep things in some type of perspective. If we do not, the fanatics -- and they are fanatics -- who perpetrated these heinous acts win.

I have a good friend who is Moslem. He is not from Iraq or Iran. He is from Turkey. (Turkey tends to be on our side, by the way.) He came to this country about two decades ago and eventually became an American citizen. He had his citizenship and considered himself an American on 9/11. He was as appalled and outraged and hurt by the attacks as any other American, who was born and raised in this country. At the time, he was working two jobs. Both of his employers told him that it might be best, given the raw emotions that were taking over Americans at the time, that he take a few days off. He understood the reaction, but I found it quite sad that this person who loves this country was presumed "evil" and an "enemy" just because of his appearance. He, along with other Moslems that I know, have denounced the actions of these radical groups and have stated that these radicals do not follow the true tenants of Islam. In fact, immediately following the attack, major Islamic groups denounced the radicals and proceeded to organize blood drives and to assist the victims by providing medical assistance, food, and shelter.

There is what is known as "The Five Pillars of Islam": bearing witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger (similar to Christians who believe that there is no other God and Christ is his son); prayer; paying of zakat (giving a percentage of one's goods/wealth to the poor, similar to tithing); fasting during Ramadhan; and pilgrimage. From my own readings of the Qur'an, I have gleaned that followers are also suppose to have a respect for the followers of Abraham (the Jews) and the followers of Jesus (Christians). No where have I found that people are to be terrorized and killed.

Which brings me to why I believe that a mosque should be built at Ground Zero in NYC. There are many Americans in this country -- both natural and naturalized -- who happen to belong to the religion of Islam. Those of us who do not follow this religion -- one of the three largest religions in the world -- should not automatically assume that all Moslems are evil and wish to see the rest of us dead. A cultural center along with the proposed mosque could help to educate non-Moslems about the religion and help to show that the fanatics who attacked this country on 9/11 and who continue to attack us -- and who also attack other Moslems who do not adhere to their radical beliefs -- are just that -- fanatics, who have perverted the concepts of Islam.

More importantly, however, I believe that the mosque should be built to show these fanatics that they do not speak for all Moslems. Who better to stand up to these radicals than other Moslems? These Moslems can convey the message quite clearly that they are also Americans and that those who would attack this country based upon perverted and radical religious beliefs are wrong. To me, the Moslems wishing to build a mosque and cultural center at Ground Zero make a much more profound statement against the radicals who attacked this country than any other group ever could.

We Americans who are not followers of Islam need to also show that we do believe in one of the tenants upon which this country was built, namely that of religious tolerance. If we continue to condemn all Moslems as terrorists and evil, the radicals win.

References:

WikiAnswers: What are the tenants of Islam?

Wikipedia: September 11 attacks