Barack Obama defends the Ground Zero mosque
I haven’t written anything about the Ground Zero mosque up until this point because, frankly, it sickens me so much that I haven’t been able to bring myself write about it. But with the news that Barack Obama has come out and endorsed the idea I can remain silent no more.
Here is some of what Barack Obama had to say:
I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances
And yes, I do agree with Barack Obama–to a point. Muslims do have the right to practice their religion, nobody is saying that they don’t. But this is not an issue about the freedom of religion; Muslims are free to practice their religion, nobody is saying that they cannot, this is about showing just a little bit of compassion. And no, I don’t mean non-Muslims showing compassion to Muslims; I am talking about Muslims showing a little compassion for the victims, families, and loved ones who perished in the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Muslims are free to build their mosques and worship, they just cannot do it here. How can someone who considers himself to be a constitutionalist and an originalist make that statement? Because I understand that technically and constitutionally they can do it here, what I really mean is that they shouldn’t do it here. While the constitution grants them the “free exercise of religion” just a little common decency and respect would tell them this was a bad idea.
I would remind you that all across this nation there are places where Christians are not allowed to practice religion, and religious symbols have been banned from being displayed on public locations for years even though this is an infringement of the “free exercise thereof” provision of the freedom of religion.
Barack Obama and his ilk see this as an opportuninty to show outreach to the Muslim community. They see this as a chance to show the world that we are a forgiving nation who does not hold Muslims responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11th.
But the truth is that the violent, extremist Islamists do not see this as outreach, they do not see this as tolerance, and they do not see this as a gesture of goodwill. They see this as a sign of weakness and of capitulation. They see this as appeasement, and that is because that is exactly what this is. And we all know how appeasement worked out in the mid 1930’s, don’t we? And when you think about it, there isn’t much difference between the racial beliefs of the Nazis and the religious beliefs of the extreme Muslims.
By this I mean, the Nazis believed that they were members of the “master race,” that all other races were inferior, and because of this they condoned their extermination. The extreme Muslims believe that theirs is the “master religion,” and that those who do not believe what they believe are inferior and they are justified in exterminating those “lower religions.”
Many politicians have said that the best way we can honor those that died on September 11th would be to allow the mosque to be built on Ground Zero in order to prove that we are a better people than those that would do us harm. I find this to be shallow, contrived nonsense by cowardly politicians who are unwilling to stand up and fight for what is right– and now Barack Obama has added his name to that list.
But maybe–just maybe–Barack Obama is standing up for what he believes:
Barack Obama is now facing national criticism for stating that a mosque show be allowed to be built at Ground Zero, and naturally he is backing down from his statement.
I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about. And I think it’s very important as difficult as some of these issues are that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about
Now he is claiming that he wasn’t specifically talking about the issue of putting a mosque at Ground Zero but honestly, that is simply bullshit. He stated specifically that Muslims had the “right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan.” What else was he talking about? Does he think we are so stupid that we can’t put two and two together?
Barack Obama could have stepped in and defused the controversy by stating that he believed Muslims have the same freedom of religion that we all share while asking them to reconsider their decision to build a mosque on this site, but that is not what he chose to do. He chose once again to take a position that is unpopular with the American people and he did it simply because he was too cowardly to step up and say what needed to be said.
America's Watchtower 
Thank you so much for this post, Steve. I was beginning to think I was the only blogger in the group we associate with that felt this way. I said in my own post that this was not about freedom of religion, but rather about what is the decent and right thing to do. One of the comments has already challenged that, but I stand by what I said. If the Muslims who are wanting to build this mosque really care about America and the freedoms she provides, they would do the decent thing and choose another location to build the mosque. It’s as simple as that.
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Very well said Larry! This issue is not about the constitutionality of the mosque, it goes beyond that. While the Muslims have the right to do this, a decent and honorable person would ask themself if he should do this.
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Like choosing to define himself as a Black man, I think Obama simply relates more t0 Islam than to the needs of Americans. I also think his speech was directed to potential Middle East donors of the mosque. Coincidentally, the Imam behind the mosque is headed for a state dept financed junket to the Middle East.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2010/0811/Is-ground-zero-mosque-imam-best-choice-for-diplomatic-mission-to-Mideast
From a moderate Muslim:
Mischief in Manhattan
We Muslims know the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation
By Raheel Raza and Tarek Fatah, Citizen Special
Last week, a journalist who writes for the North Country Times, a small
newspaper in Southern California, sent us an e-mail titled “Help.” He couldn’t understand why an Islamic Centre in an area where Adam Gadahn, Osama bin Laden’s American spokesman came from, and that was home to three of the 911 terrorists, was looking to expand.
The man has a very valid point, which leads to the ongoing debate about building a Mosque at Ground Zero in New York. When we try to understand the reasoning behind building a mosque at the epicentre of the worst-ever attack on the U.S., we wonder why its proponents don’t build a monument to those who died in the attack?
New York currently boasts at least 30 mosques so it’s not as if there is pressing need to find space for worshippers. The fact we Muslims know the idea behind the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation to thumb our noses at the infidel. The proposal has been made in bad faith and in Islamic parlance, such an act is referred to as “Fitna,” meaning “mischief-making” that is clearly forbidden in the Koran.
The Koran commands Muslims to, “Be considerate when you debate with the People of the Book” — i.e., Jews and Christians. Building an exclusive place of worship for Muslims at the place where Muslims killed thousands of New Yorkers is not being considerate or sensitive, it is undoubtedly an act of “fitna”
So what gives Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the “Cordoba Initiative” and his cohorts the misplaced idea that they will increase tolerance for Muslims by brazenly displaying their own intolerance in this case?
Do they not understand that building a mosque at Ground Zero is equivalent to permitting a Serbian Orthodox church near the killing fields of Srebrenica where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered?
There are many questions that we would like to ask. Questions about where the funding is coming from? If this mosque is being funded by Saudi sources, then it is an even bigger slap in the face of Americans, as nine of the jihadis in the Twin Tower calamity were Saudis.
If Rauf is serious about building bridges, then he could have dedicated space in this so-called community centre to a church and synagogue, but he did not. We passed on this message to him through a mutual Saudi friend, but received no answer. He could have proposed a memorial to the 9/11 dead with a denouncement of the doctrine of armed jihad, but he chose not to.
It’s a repugnant thought that $100 million would be brought into the United States rather than be directed at dying and needy Muslims in Darfur or Pakistan.
Let’s not forget that a mosque is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims and not an inviting community centre. Most Americans are wary of mosques due to the hard core rhetoric that is used in pulpits. And rightly so. As Muslims we are dismayed that our co-religionists have such little consideration for their fellow citizens and wish to rub salt in their wounds and pretend they are applying a balm to sooth the pain.
The Koran implores Muslims to speak the truth, even if it hurts the one who utters the truth. Today we speak the truth, knowing very well Muslims have forgotten this crucial injunction from Allah.
If this mosque does get built, it will forever be a lightning rod for those who have little room for Muslims or Islam in the U.S. We simply cannot understand why on Earth the traditional leadership of America’s Muslims would not realize their folly and back out in an act of goodwill.
As for those teary-eyed, bleeding-heart liberals such as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and much of the media, who are blind to the Islamist agenda in North America, we understand their goodwill.
Unfortunately for us, their stand is based on ignorance and guilt, and they will never in their lives have to face the tyranny of Islamism that targets, kills and maims Muslims worldwide, and is using liberalism itself to destroy liberal secular democratic societies from within.
Raheel Raza is author of Their Jihad … Not my Jihad, and Tarek Fatah is author of The Jew is Not My Enemy (McClelland & Stewart), to be launched in October. Both sit on the board of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
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I guess Mayor Bloomberg is sick of his job. What I do not understand is why so much emphasis only on the location, and no mention of the date? Hello, obvious slap in the face. I’m with you, Steve, the whole thing just makes me want to barf. Is this what we’ve come to? A POTUS that is anti-American?
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I forgot to mention the date this mosque is scheduled to open! I intended to mention it as it is just as offensive as the idea of building the mosque in the first place!
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I held off too, but finally, I could be silent no longer…
,b>Obama makes clear support for ground zero mosque
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That was a great post, while this is a local issue it could no longer be ignored. You and I have shown great restraint 🙂 in not posting knee jerk reactions to this issue, but Barack Obama has made it impossible to ignore any longer.
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And one day I’ll learn to check my closings on code before I post too!!
Obama makes clear support for ground zero mosque
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DOn’t fret, I do it all the time myself!
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I didn’t think it was the place of the POTUS to comment on what is clearly a local issue.
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You think that he would have learned his lesson about delving into local politics after the whole Gates/Cambridge police fiasco, but it seems as if he is a slow learner.
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Actually, given the national impact of the building of this mosque at this particular site, I have no problem with POTUS commenting on it. I DO have a problem with what those comments were, though.
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have you been reading claudia rosett’s string of articles on this mysterious “cordoba initiative” and the way this Imam Rauf guy is so illusive and maybe not so moderate? well worth a look (at pajamas media) if you haven’t.
and why the hell are we taxpayers paying for this guy’s fundraising junket in the middle east? can anyone explain that to me?
cheers
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I haven’t, but I have heard about the reasoning behind the “Cordoba” name. I will check it out more.
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You make many good points, Steve, and I concur. I’ve been putting it off, too, but I’ll probably post a brief comment on the GZ mosque issue in the next day or two.
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Thanks!
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OK, for anyone who cares, I posted my 2 cents on this topic over at http://aviewfromtheright.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/a-brief-word-about-the-proposed-ground-zero-mosque/
and finished with 3 links back here to America’s Watchtower. 8^]
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Thank you very much for the multiple links!
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bull!! i completely absolutely agree with Obama! and no i am not Muslim. i am Christian. and for Christs sake people, This is what The United States Of America is all about. We are a country founded on forgiveness, love. trust! and your posting this says that you don’t understand the basis of this country. Obama is Bringing back our america! the country the world sees us as. You really think he’s taking the easier way out?? it’s harder to forgive than to hold a grudge! also all these comments don’t seem “easy” to me. Obama isn’t vying for the destruction of this country, he’s bringing it back!! to the glory days! you guys want war.. but it’s not your sons and your daughters your cousins, uncles,aunty’s.. relatives who slew their lives.. I see nothing wrong with him wanting peace. and you know what?i think you guys are giving him all this religious, background scrutiny Because of his heritage! also, Hussein is not necessarily Muslim. so it was in the Muslim holy book. and? i’m sure they are atheists named Esther or Mary or Madeline or Thomas or john! and also Hussein is also used as an African name.. just thought you should know before you slander about than next!
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Chinelo, I’m afraid it is you that has misunderstood the basis for this country. The United States was founded on the concepts of freedom, justice (including equality under the law), and equal opportunity. I don’t read anywhere in our founding documents that indicate the nation is based on forgiveness, love, & trust. Those particular traits/principles are important, even mandated in a Judeo-Christian worldview, but they are for individuals, not nations. (Not to say that public officials can’t exercise mercy, forgive certain debts, etc., in some cases.)
I’ll leave it to Steve and the others to correct you on the rest….
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I think you did a fine enough job, I really don’t have anything to add.
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I changed my mind, I do have something to add.
Chinelo, what makes you think that we want war just because we oppose something. We want a reasonable solution worked out peacefully. These are just people protesting something and that is their constitutional right.(The right to PEACEFULLY assemble.)
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Oh, nice try on the pre-emptive strike against “Hussein = Muslim, therefore Obama is Muslim”, btw. But, I don’t think you’ll see that here.
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