Gentle readers, I’ve had enough of the sabre-rattling, flag-waving, painfully irrational rhetoric about the “Ground Zero mosque.” For starters, it’s not actually a mosque (it’s a cultural center with a worship space) nor is it at Ground Zero (it’s a couple blocks north, sandwiched between a bar and a grocery store). But those little details—or the big detail of America’s codified freedom of religion—don’t seem to make any difference to the people who are absolutely determined to turn this into a brightly-lit public revelation of just how narrow-minded, ignorant and bigoted Americans can be.
Today, a friend of a friend defended her hatred of the “Ground Zero mosque” in a Facebook thread as:
I am not intolerant. I just believe in the honor of the american people from a purely patriotic stand. The mosque is a slap in the face. I think more people need to go to it and see Ground Zero and remember it.
This is the typical Sarah Palin-esque gobbledygook I keep hearing on this issue. It doesn’t mean goddamn thing. There’s no actual rational argument there—not a shred of one. You can wrap that religious intolerance in the American flag and blather about patriotism and the sacredness of Ground Zero while cueing up all of jingoism’s greatest hits, but at the end of the day, the arguments against the cultural center are motivated entirely by bigotry, plain and simple.
Consider:
There are plenty of churches and synagogues near the World Trade Center site, and we could build a couple dozen more without a squeak of protest from anyone. But an American Muslim group wants to build in the same neighborhood and the firestorm goes on and on for weeks. This is despite the fact that the cultural center is run by a moderate, Kuwaiti imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, a leader in condemning Islamic extremism. In fact, conservative Middle Eastern expert Daniel Pipes has written, “The U.S. role [in the war on terrorism] is less to offer its own views than to help those Muslims with compatible views, especially on such issues as relations with non-Muslims, modernization, and the rights of women and minorities.” Imam Rauf is one of these Muslim leaders we should be supporting, and yet people hear the words “Muslim” and “Ground Zero” and their brains switch off and their prejudice switches on: They’re all terrorists or terrorist sympathizers! This is quintessential bigotry—otherizing and demonizing a whole group because of the actions of a few individuals.
Plenty of otherwise reasonable people seem to be willing to contort themselves into the oddest, most indefensible positions on this issue. A liberal, self-described feminist I know posted on her Facebook wall that since Americans can’t build churches or synagogues in Afghanistan or Iran, why should Muslims be able to just build a mosque wherever they want? I’ve heard the same specious argument from talking heads on various news programs.
The glaringly obvious answer: because this is America, not Iran or Afghanistan. The fact that radical Islamists perpetrate religious oppression does not justify us doing it ourselves. Emulating Islamic theocratic dictatorships is not something we should aspire to.
Newt Gingrich made a similar offensive foray with this gem: “Nazis don’t have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington.” Which is factually wrong—thanks to the First Amendment, they do have the right to put up a sign, or at least wave one—as well as a completely ignorant historical analogy: an isolated act of terror by foreign extremists is not even remotely like state-sponsored genocide. And of course, the mere mention of Nazis is a deliberately inflammatory cheap shot (as well as a violation of my previously stated ban on all mention of Nazis, which I should extend to a ban on all statements by Newt Gingrich, the herpes that pops up on the body politic in times of stress.) When you’re a right-winger and you can’t come up with a rational argument, just handwave! We understand. We know that bigotry defies logical explanation.
Sadly, Newt and his fellow Jesus-loving Fox Newsers are not the only right-wing bigots in town. The Anti-Defamation League, the pre-eminent Jewish civil rights organization, whose mission statement is: “to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens” has also come out against the mosque. Apparently unjust and unfair discrimination is a huge problem when it’s against Jews, but not so much when it’s against Muslims. ADL head Abraham Foxman is totally fine with denying freedom of religion in this case because “[9/11 victims' families'] anguish entitles them to positions that others would categorize as irrational or bigoted.” One wonders if he’d apply the same rationale to…oh…maybe…Hamas supporters whose families have been killed by Israeli air strikes. But that’s a whole separate debate.
Foxman may be right that you’re entitled to hold whatever position you like, but that doesn’t mean your position is any less irrational or bigoted or just plain wrong. Regardless, the rule of law prevents us–theoretically at least–from using our irrational bigotry to infringe on other people’s civil rights.
To all the people fuming over Muslims praying in Lower Manhattan…take a walk somewhere nice and peaceful. Go pray on it at whichever house of worship you attend. And be thankful that you can attend that house of worship without a whole nation of bigots hating on you.
This is a defining moment in our history. Between the Islamic study center, same-sex marriage, and illegal immigration, we are finally going to be forced to define exactly what our country really stands for. Are we truly for freedom, liberty, and justice for everyone, or are we to be damned as hypocrites? Shall we stand upon the principles our Founding Fathers espoused, or will we given in to mass hysteria, ignorance, and bigotry?
The fact that this debate STILL continues after Mayor Bloomberg’s eloquent defense, especially from people who have absolutely no business in commenting on it from a residential . As my husband likes to say–they aren’t paying city taxes, so why should their opinion matter?
To be against this community center/place of worship is to be against the freedoms of religion and of peaceful assembly that are protected under the First Amendment. To use the example cited in your post–it’s not to protect the speech/religion/cause you support, but those that you don’t agree with.
“Foxman maybe be right that you’re entitled to hold whatever position you like, but that doesn’t mean your position is any less irrational or bigoted. Regardless, the rule of law prevents us–theoretically at least–from using our irrational bigotry to infringe on other people’s civil rights.”
Why this isn’t more easily understood by all is beyond me–but then again, it’s one of those situations that reaffirms that opinions are not facts and therefore can be incorrect.
::sighs::
This is a new low America, a new low…
“A liberal, self-described feminist I know posted on her Facebook wall that since Americans can’t build churches or synagogues in Afghanistan or Iran, why should Muslims be able to just build a mosque wherever they want?”
I’d like to add to your response that this statement suggests:
1. that “American” means only “Christian” and “Jewish”.
2. that foreigners building things in other people’s countries is the same as the citizens of that country building things.
I’d hate to be a Muslim in America, personally.
I don’t avoid Muslims, Mandrake, but I do deny them my zoning.
Fantastic post. I love your points. You write so well here. It’s passionate, but rational and so well written.
Yes, there is this perception that placing the cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero is an act of antagonism. It’s ludicrous! It also brings out the selectively tolerant folk who inevitably will say “I’m not racist, but…” You know, excuses for bigotry.
Of course it’s racist. The ignorant assumptions are that the mere practice of Islam and presence of Muslims in NYC is offensive, that they encourage hate and violence, that Muslims should have fewer rights in New York City, that the Taliban’s actions are reflective of a supposedly hateful and violent religion, that Muslims hate America.
It’s amazing how many people think racism only encompasses mean language — and I’m sure there will be plenty more of that going around too.
When I first heard about the “Ground Zero Mosque” (in passing and I don’t remember where) my reaction was, “Well, that seems a little rude! I don’t like it!” I was imagining a big black hole where the towers were and a little pink mosque on top of it. If you aren’t paying close attention, this is what mainstream accounts will lead you to believe. I’m sorry to say I bought it.
Anyhow, all of this has really reinforced for me that I need to read a little deeper on things so important. Mainstream coverage on this issue seems willfully obfuscating. I wish I could wave a magic wand and have everyone view these pics: http://daryllang.com/blog/4421
“…Newt and his fellow Jesus-loving Fox Newsers…”
I understand that Fox News has a tendency to where a very narrow minded religion on their forehead, but can we all take a minute and recognize that what they preach and think is not what all Christians think? I feel like this was a very underhanded jab, which makes me feel bad or defensive for myself because of people who believe in Jesus but act like assholes.
Because, clearly, up until that point, I was amen-ing all over the place. I agree with you completely, but I have to admit that it is a turn off when phrases like that are said with such flippancy and malice both.
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“nor is it at Ground Zero (it’s a couple blocks north, sandwiched between a bar and a grocery store).”
That’s not true. It was attacked on 9/11. It was damaged by a landing gear falling through the roof and two floors of the building. It is part of the 9/11 site. Sorry for the correction, you had a nice rant started.
Becky, may I ask whether and how you responded to your facebook friends when this issue came up?
@rick g: There was debris from 9/11 scattered for many blocks around the World Trade Center site. That does not make it the whole neighborhood “Ground Zero”, which is the term used for the site itself.
Park Place, the street that the Cordoba Center is on, has a shoe store, an Amish Market grocery store, a bar called Dakota Roadhouse and a huge Equinox gym on that block. It’s not part of the WTC site…not in any way. If you would like to see photographic evidence of this, look at the link PetiteXL just posted further up the thread.
But thanks…I thought it was a pretty good rant, too.
@Blind Irish Pirate: I’m sorry if it offended. But I do stand by the characterization of the “Jesus-loving Fox Newsers”. Sure, every now and then Fox trots out a neocon Jew or two to make it seem like their viewpoint is ecumenical, but there’s no doubt that they pander to the Christian evangelical audience, particularly when it comes to demonizing Muslims.
I have a lot of flippancy and malice towards the Christian right wing, and I don’t apologize for it. I come by it honestly; I grew up around them and I know their views all too well. I don’t think that they represent Christians as a whole, but they sure as hell represent a large swathe of them in this country—like Newt and the Fox Newsers—and a lot of the worst bigotry in this particular issue comes from that camp.
@Cimorene: I told the one liberal friend who threw up the line about Iran and Afghanistan pretty much what I said here: that we aren’t those countries. And that I was surprised that she would just throw tolerance and freedom of religion out the window like that. The other friend of a friend whose Palin-esque nonsense I quoted I pointed out all the facts: that it’s not at Ground Zero, that it doesn’t harm anyone’s patriotism, that we have freedom of religion, etc. I was very measured, because I find that you can fight bigotry with logic on some occasions just by deflating all their rhetoric and staying on point. She eventually shut up when she realized how bad she sounded, although she kept doing a lot of “Well, I’m just a PATRIOT! I’m not being intolerant.” To which I kept saying “Yes, but you just said…”
I like what KO has to say about this issue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZpT2Muxoo0
Politics make strange bedfellows. Islam and feminism do not seem very compatible. But I suppose you don’t have to agree with a particular religion’s worldview to support its right to be treated equally.
What I like the best is that they’ve been in that neighborhood anyway for something like 20 years now.
A recent report came out that said that contemporary mosques have actually been countering extremism and terrorism, so this is actually a community that should be appreciated. (Warning: Link opens up pdf of report directly.) http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/229868.pdf
@Charlemagne: Radical Islam and feminism do not make good bedfellows. Moderate and progressive Islam support and enhance feminist goals and ideology. There’s no shortage of feminists—and feminist activism—within the Muslim community.
You seem to have fallen into the usual ignorant trap of seeing all Islam as radical Islam.
And yes, I believe that religious freedom must apply equally to all religions.
You’d think Ground Zero was in Real America the way some folks speak of hallowed ground and pretend to care about 9/11 families and the residents of NYC.
Becky–”Radical” indicates that a particular form or practice is not the norm or somehow out of the mainstream. I would suggest that the characteristics of what you refer to as “radical Islam” are actually accepted components of modern Islam.
I can defend the “ground zero mosque” without glossing over Islam’s fundamental hostility towards women and homosexuals, etc.
Sara–good point. It’s almost conforting to know that the only thing fly-over country hates more than NYC are those who would attack it.
@Charlemagne: To say that “radical Islam” is synonymous with “modern Islam” is factually incorrect. “Modern” Islam simply means Islam as it’s practiced around the world today. Just because some Muslims in the modern era espouse the tenets of radical Islam does not mean that all Muslims in the modern era do so.
@Elizabeth: so true. The rest of the country doesn’t care a fig about NYC the rest of the time-except when they’re attacking it as Satan’s headquarters on earth. But now they want to have a say in what’s built there? It’s none of your business, so close your mouths, red states.
I’m happy to see that no one has taken on Foxman and his band of self-appointed martyrs, so I can be first! I stopped supporting the ADL years ago when it became clear that they would pander to right-wing Christians to get support for Israel. It became very clear that the organization had appointed itself as yet another apologist group for Israel (as if AIPAC wasn’t doing that enough) and forgetting what its stated mission is. It’s bad enough that Foxman would take this position; it’s worse that he supported the mosque at first, then, obviously under pressure from his right-wing Jewish patrons, changed his mind.
Foxman and his group do not speak for all Jews, I want everyone to know. I can’t wait for them to call and ask for money again. They’re going to get an earful.
As for the mosque, when we need to start worrying about the NY JCC and St Patrick’s, we can add the mosque to the list.
Blind Irish Pirate,
If you don’t want the crazy, malicious right-wing Christians who are all over the airwaves, opinion columns, and tea parties to get treated like they represent the whole of Christianity, start talking louder than them.
Seriously, every time someone forgets to differentiate between the people making all the noise and the “good Christians” someone pops up to protest, and I’m tired of it. Of course there are Christians who actually believe in loving their neighbors, helping the poor, and not being assholes. But they’re too damn quiet, and the assholes are screaming at the top of their lungs. Who are we supposed to pay attention to?
One of the few benefits of being out of the country and without furniture of any kind is that I don’t hear too much about this. That said, every time I do hear about it, it makes me want to do a Peggy Olson headdesk and then do a lot of acid or something.
Mostly, it’s less the screamers that bother me than the high-minded debaters who want to talk about “assimilation” (oh, God, Ross Douthat, what did I ever do to you) and “pluralism.” The objections to the mosque at flat out fucking racist and crazy, there’s no two ways about it, and any discussion about the level of “These objectors are racist and crazy” is tantamount to sanctioning “politely spoken prejudice,” as TNC aptly put it.
I posted this somewhere else, but mostly what keeps leaping into my head is this old post of Jim Newell’s I’ve always admired at Wonkette:
… how fundamentally can we say this? A major problem with current ‘political analysis’ is that there’s no need to analyze something that’s obvious to everyone. American national politics is a vulgar, transparent, and stupid drama. You can read a few news wires regularly and understand every major politician’s short- and long-term intentions. This is why most of our Wonkette posts are composed of bad/filthy jokes, because it’s the only way to write about this shit secondhand without coming off as utterly patronizing to you, the reader. It would be insulting to you for us to legitimize the horror that is American politics under the guise of ‘expert analysis’ with such backwash as, ‘From experience, we can deduce that Obama picked someone with popular evangelical views so as to appeal to evangelicals, which would be symbolic of unity.’
You really don’t have to be smart, at all, to understand this within five seconds of hearing the original news. It is obvious. Most of this day-to-day maneuvering is obvious. Sometimes you can even write the ‘analysis’ before hearing the political news, because the political news will be primitive, because national politicians assume you are extremely fucking stupid.
In other words, bring on the puerile jokes, because I can’t get it up to discuss this “intellectually” anymore. Dean out.
A postscript: charlemagneinsweats, this ain’t my thread, but if you have some kind of background or qualifications that could back up your bald assertions of what “radical Islam” is or isn’t it would seem worth stating those. Whatever you “would suggest” is rather uninteresting without actual facts/experience to back it up.
@SarahMC – Exactly. I think what pisses me off the most is the way people across the country use New York as some sort of political football. They trash us when it’s convenient for them, and then hold us up as some shining beacon and our land as hallowed ground in order to drum up hatred, fear and bigotry. It makes me boil with anger.
I’m really glad to see this rant and it was just what I needed. I’ve been angry about this for a couple days now.
What really frustrates me is the lack of perspective. If the bombings had been done by some Christian extremist group, and then, say, a Methodist congregation wanted to build a church a few blocks away, almost no one would protest. People would uphold it as a sign of tolerance and healing. It would be used as triumphant evidence by Christians all over the nation that God is Love, not violence. People would come out of the woodwork to support it.
It’s so embarrassing to have this bigotry happen in a country so proud of its religious freedom.
I get into this same conversation when I try to explain to my father why Christians aren’t really a poor, persecuted group in the U.S. (He’s an uber-evangelical Christian and I’m a practising Pagan.) I’ve given the example of a bookstore: if he wanted to start (another) Christian bookstore in this town (I live in Texas), people would be lining up to support him and he’d have no less than four local radio stations who would give him air time for advertisements between their music and sermons. If I wanted to start a Pagan bookstore (there are no listed Pagan shops of any kind in my town, which has 1.4 million people), people would be lining up to protest me. I’d have all kinds of people sending me nasty letters, picketing my building, hurling accusations of satanic involvement, etc.
Also, thank you PetiteXL for posting those pictures.
“The glaringly obvious answer: because this is America, not Iran or Afghanistan. The fact that radical Islamists perpetrate religious oppression does not justify us doing it ourselves.”
HELL to the YES.
Just because they don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I wonder if the self-proclaimed feminist or other people who try to identify with some cause justify their bigotry by identifying with something else that is righteous in another arena. Hm. Anyway, it’s a mosque, not a terrorist social club. They need to put on their big boy pants and get over it.
You know, the Islamophobes are right. In true patriotic American spirit, we should build a gigantic WalMart on the site of the Twin Towers.
@ Av0gadro – Well, what do you think I was/am doing? It’s easy to slam Christianity and then turn on those of us to denounce their radical attitude because we’re too quiet. So here, I sit, saying, Pretty sure Newt/Fox didn’t listen when Jesus was talking. If you think that we aren’t talking louder than them, then I don’t know what to tell you – maybe you aren’t hearing it.
@ Becky – I understand your malice and frustration, I really do. For that, I AM sorry. But I need to be honest, too: for those “Jesus Freaks” that ARE listening to you and WANT the best for the world and the people in it… what makes you think that they will keep listening when they are lumped in with the radical weirdos? I’m all for being ranty and angry, but at some point, people stop listening to that.
@Blind Irish Pirate:
for those “Jesus Freaks” that ARE listening to you and WANT the best for the world and the people in it… what makes you think that they will keep listening when they are lumped in with the radical weirdos?
I was not lumping anyone in with anyone else. I was very specific in my language. I referred to the “Christian right wing” and “Christian evangelicals” and “Newt and his Jesus-loving Fox Newsers.” It’s pretty obvious which faction of Christians I was talking about.
As PhDork is fond of saying “If it’s not about you, it’s not about you.” Why would progressive, tolerant Christians take offense if I wasn’t talking about them at all?
Because I’m being hypersensitive, I now recognize it, and now I’m moving on. Sorry for getting all twitchy.
@J.D.: As a single, unemployed, educated male, I am inspired by your movement, “Wal Quaeda,” and wish to aid your cause.
[...] Bigots and the “Ground Zero Mosque” (harpyness.com) [...]
Superb, BeckySharper! You beautifully put my thoughts into words.
http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2010/08/18/ground-zero-mosque/
Sam Harris and Reza Aslan discuss the Mosque/Cultural Center with Patt Morrison.
also, JD & BearDown, that is so funny
I think that narrowing this down to a few bigots and/or racists is over-simplifying a very complex issue. 9/11 was a devastating American tragedy. When something like this happens, emotions run extremely high, as in this case. Also keep in mind that this is not new. In the 1980’s three Carmelite nuns attempted to build a convent on the grounds of Auschwitz. This angered Jews world-wide and it became so controversial that the pope recalled the nuns. Then there’s our government that gives out licenses to build on Native American sacred lands like Bear Butte. At some point in this debate, people have failed to realize that this is about more than just a mosque. This is about land that is now considered “hallowed ground” and/or “sacred”. If this is indeed the case, then we should not build anything there in the same way that we ought to be respecting Native American lands. This is a very complex issue.
http://www.nps.gov/flni
@Burl: No, Burl, it’s not a complex issue. This cultural center is not being built on “hallowed ground”, so your analogies do not hold.
As I pointed out in my post and in the comments thread, the Cordoba Center is not on the site of the World Trade Center—it’s on a side street several blocks north next to a supermarket, a bar and a gym. There’s nothing “sacred” about that block at all. Hell, there’s even a strip joint down the street that’s closer to the “sacred ground” of Ground Zero than the Cordoba center. This is a simple case of anti-Muslim sentiment—a.k.a. bigotry—trying to overpower citizens’ right to freedom of religion.
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.–John Adams
Even more so to the point. Why build a mosque near a strip joint? There are several sources out there that say that the Burlington Coat Factory building sustained damaged from the initial attack.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2012638406_mosque17.html
Seems to be enough to qualify it in the same category to me, but then again, I’m not sure who gets to determine what is and is not hallowed ground; perhaps the voters.
Why build a mosque near a strip joint?
Because they want to. Why do you care? Typical handwaving.
As for whether it’s “hallowed ground”—there are many buildings in the neighborhood that were damaged on 9/11. They’re not considered “hallowed ground.” No one says the Brooks Brothers on Church St, or the American Express headquarters, which were used as a morgue after 9/11, shouldn’t have been reopened. Or any of the other buildings that were damaged and rebuilt. Even the “hallowed ground” of the WTC site itself is now just a giant construction zone. Sorry, that argument doesn’t fly.
Do you live in New York? You don’t seem to be very familiar with what that neighborhood looks like or what’s happening at and around the WTC site.
I’m not sure who gets to determine what is and is not hallowed ground; perhaps the voters.
The voters, as represented by the community board in that neighborhood, had no problem with the Cordoba Center. The community board unanimously approved its construction.
Okay Becky. I’m not interested in debating it. This issue is more about emotions rather than logic anyway. That’s all I wanted to point out. Not everybody opposed to it is a racist ot bigot.
This issue is more about emotions rather than logic anyway.
My point exactly. You and others opposed to the Cordoba Center can’t make policy or deprive your fellow citizens of their rights based on simply your emotions. Particularly when the emotions people are expressing, with respect to the Muslim-Americans involved, are bigoted and illogical.
“since Americans can’t build churches or synagogues in Afghanistan or Iran, why should Muslims be able to just build a mosque wherever they want?”
Seriously? Someone actually used this as an argument?
The amount of pompousness and ignorance wrapped up in that statement is revolting.
Its amazing how so many (white) American’s beleive that the whole world is their playground, so international restrictions couldn’t possibly apply to them.