Repurposing the Burlington Coat Factory
I simply cannot understand any objection to converting a one-time coat factory that’s not even visible from ground zero (it’s 2-3 blocks away, surrounded by a variety of stores and shops) to a community center for Muslims. What one earth is the problem? Al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center, but Al-Qaeda is not involved in this at all.
Even ignoring the fact that the Constitution explicitly forbids the government from attempting to dictate whether private property can be used for religious purposes, I don’t get it. The men who were directly responsible for the 9/11 attacks are all dead, as you know. (At least, I have trouble believing that any could have survived the plane crashes.) We went to war immediately against Al-Qaeda, and then the Taliban. And for good measure, we invaded Iraq, which had nothing whatsoever to do with the attacks but does have a lot of oil.
But none of that has anything to do with the community center in Manhattan—a community center that doesn’t seem to be an issue for the people; who actually live there.
And to have the objections to the place raised by the GOP, which normally defends the rights of private property owners, is simply weird.
UPDATE: I guess the GOP thing is really not so weird. The rights of owners of private property was an important GOP principle, but the GOP has long since abandoned its principles, along with ethics, morality, and honesty.
Spot On ! The whole controversy within those outraged, seems to have shifted from the legalities to the audacious, insensitive and even sinister. Sinister is a really good one that had me laughing on the floor.
The Bible Belt extremists tried to offer the sinister, by pushing the idea of Muslims building a Mosque over hallow ground that they conquered in the past.
Geez….wonder who they learned that from ?
In Mexico all one has to do is go visit any cathedral in the former Aztec region and bingo….an Aztec temple beneath the cathedral often built by the same stones of the Aztec temples or Pyramids.
Of course this was long a practice way before Mohammad came around. if the Mosque close to ‘Hallow ground’ was found buying construction filler from the dump where they put the refuse from Towers I & II, then I could understand the consternation,
Come to think of it, I wonder if the IMAM thought of that ? A little Tower I and II mixed in with the Mortar for the Mosque floor, maybe someone should go and secure all that refuse.
Nick
17 August 2010 at 12:51 pm