TULSA, Okla. —
There is quite a brouhaha going on over the proposed construction of an Islamic Center and Mosque to be located two blocks from Ground Zero in New York City. Such a project is legally permissible, of course, and it has even been endorsed by Mayor Bloomberg. But others, including the Anti-Defamation League, have balked.
The would-be owners of this Islamic Center and Mosque are no doubt well intentioned, yet clearly naive.
Muslims are seen by many, if not most, Americans as intolerant jihadists who are out to kill infidels at every opportunity, who brainwash children so they will blow themselves up, who hijack planes, who kill athletes at the Olympics, who traffic in slaves, who treat women as property or worse, who threaten writers, critics and cartoonists with decapitation if they disparage Mohammad, and who deny the holocaust.
These folks should not expect a neighborhood welcoming party.
The Catholics have had their share of bad press in recent years, and they have paid the price — declining membership, priests leaving in droves, and an internal struggle over the direction of the Church. In stark contrast, Islam is now the fastest growing religion in the world, notwithstanding all the crimes against humanity committed under the name of Allah.
When tolerance and respect for any religion, including this one, are drowned out by the rattle of sabers, then political correctness must be set aside. The burden is now on the moderate Muslim leaders to disarm their fundamentalist brethren and bring them into the 21st century. Only then would it be appropriate to talk about constructing an Islamic Center and Mosque near Ground Zero.
Herb Van Fleet
Tulsa, Okla.
Opinion
Voices: Islam vs. Ground Zero
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