Obama backs mosque near ground zero

[Brittain33]

Given the totality of the situation, do you think the proposed location for the mosque is insensitive to the legitimate pain felt by 9/11 survivors, New York, and indeed much of the nation?

I question the assumption about "legitimate" pain, particularly on the part of people who are under the assumption it's being built at Ground Zero, that it is being built as a marker of conquest, and that its name connotes triumphalism. I do think people like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich are acting out of political expediency and because they see an opportunity to gin up support for fundraising, not because they are suffering emotional pain. I find many Americans' anger at all things Islamic, bordering on paranoia, to have warped our policies as a country to an extent I can not agree with. I question the assumption that Muslims really can't build mosques anywhere that you couldn't build an adult bookstore, because anything else might cause people to be upset, because it implies as a country we don't really accept there are millions of Muslims living here with the freedom of worship. I question the utility of putting this to a vote--which it would lose in the Financial District and Manhattan, if not in the city as a whole, or in Alaska or suburban Atlanta or wherever else one can think of. That's where I stand. We're a better country than this and I have a strong aversion to people joining hands with Osama bin Laden, seeking to destroy the middle and to polarize the world around a holy war that he could never have provoked on his own.

[Brittain33]

If Cordoba House represents moderate Islam, transparency with respect to the sources of funding, the leadership behind construction, etc, should not be a problem - indeed would be totally consistent with with the teachings of "Islam" - a religion of peace...

yes?

I think they should be held to the same standards of transparency as any organization building a major project in a major U.S. city, yes. I am not well-versed enough to know where demands for transparency cross the line into an effort to harass or intimidate a group and make it impossible for them to build, as critics have made hay from the most ridiculous connections (someone's wife's uncle belonging to a mosque whose website links to another website that links to Hamas, for example) to win the media war. I'm sure that's a concern of yours--not to use the letter of the law to invalidate the spirit, or to achieve harassment. Right?

[The Vorlon]

 I do think people like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich are acting out of political expediency and because they see an opportunity to gin up support for fundraising, not because they are suffering emotional pain.

Almost certainly true....

That being said...

Do you think the Cordoba Project (look up "Cordoba" in the context of Islamic History BTW) and in light of all the points you raise, do you not think it would be a good idea for them to extend an olive branch of enhanced transparency and outreach to address the concerns being expressed......?

The best way to combat misconceptions is openness and transparency....

If their are questions, answer the questions....

[Brittain33]

Do you think the Cordoba Project (look up "Cordoba" in the context of Islamic History BTW)

I learned about it in Hebrew School. It was one of the few bright spots in Jewish history, particularly on the European continent.

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I am not familiar with the current degree of transparency, but I see a total lack of good faith in the media vanguard of people who oppose Cordoba House... they aren't asking for transparency in funding alone, which would be fair, they're sliming the project's very identity. There are people who don't want see mosques built anywhere other than, perhaps, some inner city slums they don't care about. They reject the idea of an Islamic cultural center. I think the organizers of Cordoba House could have done a better job of PR, but I don't think they'd be given any quarter and can't be responsible for the failure of bridge building when it's the other side that isn't interested at all. I just hope that Bloomberg stands firm.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Harry Reid is against the mosque......Ooopps

[You kip if you want to...]

Harry Reid is against the mosque......Ooopps

Well, the Nevada Senate race is a toss-up.

[Lunar]

Harry Reid is against the mosque......Ooopps

He's against it for being insensitive or whatevsky, but thinks they have the right to do it.

Disappointing public statement after Obama really put himself out there defending religious freedom.

Facts are: Muslim New Yorkers died on 9/11 [feeling emotionally grieved over 9/11 is not a non-Muslim experience], lots of Muslims work in lower Manhattan, the site is nothing special [certainly not hallowed ground], the site is not especially near or public to the World Trade Center, and there is already a mosque FOUR blocks away.

I could understand someone sympathizing with how so many people could be outraged, but I'm disappointed in the statement.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

He's against it for being insensitive or whatevsky, but thinks they have the right to do it.

Identical to Obama

[Lunar]

He's against it for being insensitive or whatevsky, but thinks they have the right to do it.

Identical to Obama

Is it?  I remember that Obama thinks they have the right to do it, but I don't remember him saying explicitly that they shouldn't do it?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

He's against it for being insensitive or whatevsky, but thinks they have the right to do it.

Identical to Obama

Is it?  I remember that Obama thinks they have the right to do it, but I don't remember him saying explicitly that they shouldn't do it?

"I question the wisdom"......didn't you see my earlier translation? 

[Lunar]

He's against it for being insensitive or whatevsky, but thinks they have the right to do it.

Identical to Obama

Is it?  I remember that Obama thinks they have the right to do it, but I don't remember him saying explicitly that they shouldn't do it?

"I question the wisdom"......didn't you see my earlier translation? 

That's not quite as bold as Reid's statement though, eh?

[Sbane]

If I bought a piece of property next to one of the Nazi death camps it would be "legal" to build a educational exhibit highlighting all the wonderful achievements of Adolf Hitler (Autobahns, national health care, expanded support for the arts, etc...) but it would certainly be deeply, massively, hurtfully,  and profoundly insensitive to do so....

This has to be one of the most ridiculous posts I have read lately. And I would have least expected it from you, since everybody here seems to hold you in very high regard.

You have just now equated Al Qaeda with Islam at large which is pretty disgusting, and coincidentally, exactly what the extremists want. They want a holy war and a depressingly high amount of people in America (and apparently also Canada) want to help them achieve their goal.

Now if they were building a mosque near ground zero where they had exhibits about how Al Qaeda is helping poor people in Pakistan and Afghanistan, then you would have a point. When you group in Islam with Al Qaeda like that, it's the same as saying that any celebration of German culture near the concentration camps is insensitive.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

He's against it for being insensitive or whatevsky, but thinks they have the right to do it.

Identical to Obama

Is it?  I remember that Obama thinks they have the right to do it, but I don't remember him saying explicitly that they shouldn't do it?

"I question the wisdom"......didn't you see my earlier translation? 

That's not quite as bold as Reid's statement though, eh?

Presidents are rarely that bold.....but they said the same thing, IMO

[Lunar]

"I question the wisdom" seems a *lot* softer than "They should it build it somewhere else."

Heck, Reid's statement comes with the Associated Press headline, which I presume is uncontested [or unsuccessfully contested] by the Reid campaign that Reid is "against the mosque."  Pretty notable imo

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

"I question the wisdom" seems a *lot* softer than "They should it build it somewhere else."

Heck, Reid's statement comes with the Associated Press headline, which I presume is uncontested [or unsuccessfully contested] by the Reid campaign that Reid is "against the mosque."  Pretty notable imo

You don't see any difference in how the President must address something vs. a Senator?

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Harry Reid is against the mosque......Ooopps

At least he's still TRYING to get reelected. 

[Vepres]

The only reasonable argument against this (morally, not legally) would be if they intentionally did this to provoke a reaction. I have yet to see any evidence that this is true, and really, you can't even see it from ground zero.

It really pisses me off that there are so few mainstream economic conservatives that aren't xenophobic/hyper-religious.

[Lunar]

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a new national icon for the Republican Party thanks in part to his push for pension reforms, on Monday became the most prominent GOP figure to warn against "overreacting" to the threat of terror and painting "all of Islam" with the brush of terrorism amid the swirling controversy about the Ground Zero-area mosque.

The remarks from Christie, who took office in January, were a striking departure from major GOP players like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich, who have been adamantly opposed to the construction of the proposed Islamic mosque and cultural center two blocks north of the northern perimeter of Ground Zero - putting them at odds with people like New York City Mayor Bloomberg and, to a lesser degree, President Barack Obama.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41141.html#ixzz0wozjURVy



#FF  Mega FF

[Franzl]

The only reasonable argument against this (morally, not legally) would be if they intentionally did this to provoke a reaction. I have yet to see any evidence that this is true, and really, you can't even see it from ground zero.

It really pisses me off that there are so few mainstream economic conservatives that aren't xenophobic/hyper-religious.

I personally think it is pretty clearly a provocation....which doesn't affect their rights of course.

[Vepres]

The only reasonable argument against this (morally, not legally) would be if they intentionally did this to provoke a reaction. I have yet to see any evidence that this is true, and really, you can't even see it from ground zero.

It really pisses me off that there are so few mainstream economic conservatives that aren't xenophobic/hyper-religious.

I personally think it is pretty clearly a provocation....which doesn't affect their rights of course.

I think most conservatives at this point don't deny that the government can't do anything about this, but the argument is now more of an ethics one.

[Lunar]

The only reasonable argument against this (morally, not legally) would be if they intentionally did this to provoke a reaction. I have yet to see any evidence that this is true, and really, you can't even see it from ground zero.

It really pisses me off that there are so few mainstream economic conservatives that aren't xenophobic/hyper-religious.

I personally think it is pretty clearly a provocation....which doesn't affect their rights of course.

Respectfully disagree.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/05/26/2010-05-26_the_truth_about_the_mosque_the_leader_of_proposed_muslim_center_near_ground_zero.html

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

I just gained a lot more respect for Chris Christie.

[Franzl]

The only reasonable argument against this (morally, not legally) would be if they intentionally did this to provoke a reaction. I have yet to see any evidence that this is true, and really, you can't even see it from ground zero.

It really pisses me off that there are so few mainstream economic conservatives that aren't xenophobic/hyper-religious.

I personally think it is pretty clearly a provocation....which doesn't affect their rights of course.

Respectfully disagree.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/05/26/2010-05-26_the_truth_about_the_mosque_the_leader_of_proposed_muslim_center_near_ground_zero.html

That does provide a different perspective, indeed.

[Lunar]

I just gained a lot more respect for Chris Christie.

At the moment his party leadership is jostling for who can be the most populist xenophobe on the mosque, he speaks bluntly and reasonably on a divisive social issue yet on the opposite side of the river from where a rising GOP national star should rationally place himself.  Respek has to be given where due.

[Zarn]

Well, I could have told you that Christie was more reasonable than Palin and Palinites.