Should a mosque be built near Ground Zero?

It's not surprising that the Sienna College poll shows that 63 percent of New York voters oppose the project. Voters have no obligation to be familiar with the Constitution of the United States (though it wouldn't be a bad idea if we were). But you would think that elected officials and those formally entrusted with political leadership were supposed to be familiar with the it.

So far as I know, the first amendment to the US Constitution has not been been repealed. For those hearing about either the US Constitution, or the first amendment for the first time, here is a little background. It is the first part of what are called the Bill of Rights. The first amendment was ratified December 15, 1791. It reads "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." A few years before that, some of the same folk responsible for these radical ideas also penned something called The Declaration of Independence. There we discover that the United States of America was founded on other similarly nutty notions like: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

It is [still] legal to be Muslim in America. How is it then that people who enjoy the trust of citizens to have authority over us and to lead us according to the laws of the land are taking positions against the US constitution?

What if preachers in the mosque spew dangerous teachings and hatred of America. Well, curiously enough the very same amendment (the very first amendment) also guarantees American citizens freedom of speech. Sadly our wonderful country is full of people inciting hatred against our great country and its people (many of whom have died protecting the rights of these ingrates to say what they like). This is an enormously challenging part of the first amendment, but for some reason (indeed for the noblest of reasons) we have chosen to uphold this right for Americans for the past 230 years. It is really a bad idea to chose to stop now, even if you don't like somebody's religion.

It would be nice for Muslim families who lost their loved ones who had gone to work in the World Trade Towers on 9/11 to have a place to pray in their memory. But does it matter if a mosque 2 blocks from Ground Zero is a good idea or not? No. The Constitution of the United States was not written to be ignored when people don't like something, or when people have bad ideas.

What if tomorrow someone doesn't like my religion? And the day after that the governor doesn't like your religion? Want to block the development of a mosque at 45 Park Place? Zone the area so that no places of worship may be permitted anywhere within a two block radius of Ground Zero. Oops, what are we going to do with St. Paul's Chapel, opened in 1766 [ which makes it older than the Constitution itself ] , Manhattan's oldest public building in continuous use - a place where George Washington worshiped and 9/11 recovery workers received round-the-clock care. Part of the Episcopal Parish of Trinity Church, St. Paul's is a center for worship and the arts, a community of reconciliation, and a place of pilgrimage for all people.



On September 14, 2001, President George W. Bush called for a national ringing of bells as a memorial to those who lost their lives on September 11th. Dr. Matthews, Rector of Trinity Church asked the building staff of St. Paul's Chapel to ring St. Paul's bells. Without electricity and limited access to the restricted zone, Mike Borrero, Jim Doran, and the Reverend Lyndon Harris carefully climbed St. Paul's dark, wooden bell tower. While Jim held a flashlight, Mike found a steel pipe and "whacked" the bell 12 times. Rescuers at Ground Zero removed their hats and stood in silence.

If this policy is adopted , then the terrorists will have gained a massive victory , and will be able to shout out to the world that American freedom is a sham . Freedom isn't easy and it will be challenged regularly , lets hope that America doesn't fall at the first hurdle .