By Jackson Cozzens
*This article has been written in the mindset of those opposed to building a Mosque neat Ground Zero. My words in no way reflect my actual sentiments towards the cultural center.
Many Americans have voiced their opinions about the proposed Park 51 Mosque. The general censes among conservatives is that a Mosque does not belong so close to Ground Zero. A building so large would be hard to avoid given the location. It may instill negative thoughts and emotions in people when coming to pay their respects to the victims of 9-11 and have to be constantly reminded who did it. Not saying that all Muslims are bad, nor that it was their religion that made the savage attack. But those responsible for the lives taken on 9-11, did profess to do so in the name on the same God and the same Religion that will be worshiped in the proposed Mosque.
Attempts have been made by those affected by 9-11 to stop the construction of the Mosque. The proposed building is over 150 years old and “should have been declared an official landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.” It wasn’t the Muslim Religion that made the attack against the U.S., but the terrorists that did, did so in the name of that same religion. People are concerned that the Muslim Religion is one of hate and fear that allowing them to build a mosque would be a “slap in the face.”
These cartoons show the ideas of many people regarding the mosque. Many believe that by allowing Muslims to walk all over us, we are opening up the door to being taken advantage of. Americans believe in our morals and in our duty to uphold the Constitution. We believe that all religions have the right to practice freely. However, are we allowing all people freedom if at times those who want to be free from religion, can’t be? Ground Zero is sacred ground devoted to the God that this country was founded on. Ask yourself if it seems right to build one church right on top of another?
See for yourself in this group of cartoons. Go through our research and decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong.
Anti-Mosque Cartoons
Pro Mosque Cartoons
Doing The Right Thing
By: Matt Skabelund
Americans hold many things in high regard; apple pie, baseball and freedom of religion? Okay, maybe apple pie and freedom of religion weren’t held in the same respect in 1787, when the Constitution was adopted. It’s true that the way that Americans thought in 1787 and the way they think now are extremely different, nevertheless a document held and revered by most Americans is under attack by people opposed to fellow citizens, neighbors and friends practicing their religion.
The cultural center proposed near Ground Zero has been a topic of debate for politicians and common citizens alike. Many reasons have been provided on both sides some reasonable and some rational. This article proposes the idea that the Ground Zero Cultural Center is constitutional, good for the community and good for the nation.
Anyone who looks through the Constitution doesn’t have to look very hard to find the reason why the Ground Zero Cultural Center is constitutional because free exercise of religion is in the 1st amendment. There were no stipulations or hidden clauses in this amendment. Free exercise of religion was granted to any and all United States citizens. Interesting how a country founded on the principles of freedom, emphasis on religious freedom, now wish to revoke that same privilege by not allowing a religious group to build a place of worship.
The cultural center would benefit many more than just members of the Islamic faith, it would benefit the entire community of Lower Manhattan. Some of the activities that members would be able to participate in cooking classes, recreational activities and community events to name just a few. In the end this is much more than a mosque, it’s a community center or better yet, a cultural center.
Nothing will ever repair the hurt that Americans felt on September 11, 2001, when a radical sect of Islamic terrorists hijacked and crashed American airplanes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Since that date a disease entered into the hearts of Americans, a disease of hate, fear and prejudice. As facts were released about the attacks and time went on, some Americans didn’t allow this disease to take control of their thoughts others did. This country needs to be healed not only from the Twin Towers attack but also from their racist thoughts. This cultural center won’t be the only thing to cure them but it would be a good start.
In conclusion, the cultural center proposed near Ground Zero is a good thing for many reasons but everyone has to live with the decisions that they make both good and bad. Americans shouldn’t need reasons to do the right thing, at the end of the day before making any decisions, one should remember the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have others do to you. Nobody likes their freedoms taken from them so why take do it to someone else?
First Amendment/Constitution
We The People
By: Samuel Warburton
As Americans, we the people, through our birthright, have taken upon us the responsibility to follow and uphold the US Constitution. The First Amendment is part of the Constitution, and it affects us greatly. It goes as follows, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
In other words, government has no authority over religion, the excersice of religion, the assembling and speech of religion. Well, during the big debate over Park 51 NYC Mosque, congress has gone against the first amendment. The media were very anxious to cover this issue especially because there was such a big dispute between the Republican and Democrat parties over this issue of Park 51. The media were looking for the most saleable headline. As such, it is easy to see why the mosque debate is being portrayed by most reporting as a partisan battle. Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama, Bush Administration, and many more politicians all took part of debating this issue.
Palin twitted that the mosque represents an “Unnecessary provocation” that “stabs hearts”. Another ridiculous exhortation from a high-profile Rebulican was said by Newt Gingrich, “Nazis don’t have the right to put up a sign next to the holocaust museum in Washington” and that the US “would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor”.
In my research, I noticed that most of the people against the mosque were Republican, and that most of the people for the mosque were Democrat. A quote I found in an article by Tom Rogan said, “These Republicans are not only concerned with protecting freedom of worship and unity in American society; they are also keenly aware of the forming electoral landscape that Republicans will face beyond this election cycle and into the future. While these Republicans do not fear perception of weakness on national security as many Democrats do, underlining their attitudes toward the mosque debate is their realization that the Republican party is running on risky ground.” Much of the debates were due to the elections, and the different parties were wanting votes. But, the should have remembered the oath they took to uphold the Constitution.
In the end, it does not matter that “the Park 51 project will involve a community multifaith worship centre, or a swimming pool, or a music and art centre (hardly the priorites of extremist Islamism). In an election-year environment, emotion can – and in this case, has – often overwhelmed logic.”
-Tom Rogan, Park 51 dividing lines, Aug 2010
American politicians, Republican and Democrat alike, should remember the first part ot the first amendment to the constitution that they have sworn to uphold: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It really is simple; respect for personal freedom, including freedom to worship, as central to our political process is a vital part of our national identity, and we need to make sure it is upheld no matter the situation.
President Obama Cartoons
Obama
There are people all over this country who believe that President Obama shares the same views as them. People are on both sides of the debate of putting a Mosque in lower Manhattan. On one hand, President Obama said in a dinner at the white house celebrating the beginning of Ramadan “ Over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose, including the right to believe in no religion at all. And it is a testament to the wisdom of our founders that America remains deeply religious. A nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe.” Various people that attended the dinner said that the feel in the room was that president Obama had expressed his personal opinion on the matter and he was throwing his support to the building of the mosque. The very next day though, President Obama made a point to say that he was not expressing an opinion on the situation just pointing out the fact that our country thrives on a freedom of religion.
Senator John McCain took an entirely different approach than President Obama. He said “I oppose the planned location of a mosque in close proximity to Ground Zero, the concerns of the 9/11 victims’ families and the citizens of New York City should be respected.” In my research I came across a different situation that could describe another opinion of Americans all over the country. Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer compared construction of an Islamic center near ground zero to when Pope John Paul II prevented a group of nuns from opening a convent near the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp. “He was in no way devaluing their heartfelt mission to pray for the souls of the dead. He was teaching them a lesson in respect: This is not your place; it belongs to others however pure your voice, better to let silence reign.” The United Stated is such a diverse nation that it would be impossible to cover every angle of what people are feeling towards the NY mosque.
In reading up on this issue I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in this situation to other situations that have happened in the past as well as are happening right now. The first one that comes to mind is the Supreme Court ruling on the Westboro Baptist Church. Every person in America who follows the news despises these people for what they are doing and saying about soldiers as well as the other hateful things they say towards different groups of people across the country. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are a religion and the constitution does explicitly protect them under the first amendment, just like the building of a mosque. Other times in history that this has happened are like at Pearl Harbor with a Shinto Shrine only 1,000 feet from a Pearl Harbor site. This situation shows the same time frame as the situation our country is in now. The Shrine being built took place only ten years from when the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor devastated the entire nation and led to the U.S. involvement in WWII. Only ten years has passed since the attacks on 9/11. The proposed mosque is definitely causing the same amount of upset as before. This next one isn’t an actual situation that took place just an analogy that was said on the FOX network TV show “Fox and Friends.” Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, said “Building the mosque near Ground Zero is like putting a Nazi sign near the Holocaust Museum.” This analogy is very extreme and so far off it’s ridiculous. He has compared innocent Americans of the Muslim religion to being the equivalent of Nazis who heartlessly murdered thousands of people.
Throughout the course of events President Obama has tried to stay non opinionated on the issue of the mosque because it is not a federal issue it is an issue that pertains only to the state of New York.
Cultural Center Vs. Mosque
Mosque vs. Cultural
By: Brittany Breinholt
The Park 51 Mosque has created a large controversy, not only in New York, but across the nation. The first news coverage that I heard concerning the project said that there was a Mosque proposed to be built on Ground Zero. The obvious sentiment that comes from such a statement is outrage. Many people still maintain the notion that that a Mosque is going to be built ON Ground Zero. However, as more information has been made available, it is clear that it will be much more than a Mosque.
I prefer to call it a Culture center, since the muslim prayer area is set to occupy only 2 floors of the 13 story building. The other 11 floors are going to be filled with a 500-seat auditorium, theater, performing arts center, fitness center, swimming pool, basketball court, childcare services, art exhibitions, bookstore, culinary school, and a food court. An anitcipated 1,000 to 2,000 Muslims are going to be praying in the praying center every Friday once the building is completed. Although The Culture Center is going to be available to to all of New York and not just Muslims.
As for the other argument, which is the "mosque" being built "ON ground zero." The controversy behind all of this is because Americans would be taking offense since the hijackers in the September 11th attacks were Islamic terrorists. This is an exaggeration. Infact the mosque will be build 2 blocks away from ground zero and will not be at all visible from the world trade center site at all.
Polls have showed that the majority of Americans, New York residents, and New York City residents opposed building the center near Ground Zero; more Manhattanites support building the center.
My personal opinion is that people just need to be better educated on the situation. They specifically need to understand the difference between the Culture Center and the "Mosque"
