Posted by
ARestlessMind on Saturday, August 21, 2010 5:42:43 PM
If there was ever a "teachable moment" the controversy over the proposed mosque near the 9/11 site is such a moment. The problem is many people may miss the lessons. The lessons will be drowned out by the screeches and protests on both sides of the debate. For those who are interested, here are some of the things we can learn from this situation.
First, this is the price that must be paid to live in a free, at least relatively free, society. Freedom of religion is a basic right in the United States, and the people behind the Cordoba House have every right to propose constructing a mosque within spitting distance of the 9/11 site. Still, they do not have an absolute right to build the mosque at that location. Certainly, they do not have the right to build the mosque without protest. People have the right to oppose the construction of any building at that location, or any location throughout these United States.
People oppose churches, public buildings and other construction every day in one city or another. They oppose them because of traffic concerns, safety concerns and in some cases simple distaste for the activity proposed at the site. Opposing this mosque is nothing unusual in that sense. People, citizens of this country, have some legitimate concerns about this proposal. They have a right to make their concerns known and oppose this initiative.
What makes it unusual is the location and the probability the proposal is a deliberate attempt to place the United States in a no win situation. For the sake of argument, assume the core stakeholders in this endeavor really want to build a center for outreach and tolerance. That does not mean they are not being used by others who simply want to make the United States look bad or worse. If nothing else was learned by the attack of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent wars, it should be clear the Islamic extremists take the long view and will use anyone and anything to further their goals.
One of their goals is the continued demonization of the United States. The mosque is a brilliant plan to help further that goal. If it is opposed, moved or stopped, the extremists and their fellow travelers will scream about the intolerance, dishonesty and corruption in the United States. If it is allowed to be completed, they will crow about the weakness of the United States and how the United States is foolish to allow something like this to be placed so near the site of a great Jihadist triumph. In the mean time, they have fomented more animosity between the Right and the Left in this country.
This is truly a no win situation at some level. Yet, that does not mean the opponents to the mosque should close up shop and let it go forward. Yes, the radicals will publicly try to use this against the United States, either way. However, if the mosque proposal is turned aside, they will at some level know the United States is not as necessarily as weak and naive as they hoped.
Even a small victory in the struggle with Islamic extremists is worth a great deal of risk and effort. They have clearly shown they are in this struggle for the long haul, and they know our culture and our laws give them an advantage. They will exploit that advantage whenever possible, and they are doing so with this project.