There is a great deal of furor going on about the proposed building of an Islamic community center and mosque a short distance away from the World Trade Center site in New York City. On Friday, President Obama made a public statement about the issue, pointing our that “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”
Republicans jumped right on him, accusing the President of “pandering to radical Islam” and saying he “caved in to political correctness.”
I’d like to ask the Republican leaders a simple question: When did you stop supporting the Bill of Rights?
In case there’s any confusion out there, or Americans who didn’t get civics lessons because their teachers were busy ensuring no child got left behind, let’s quickly review what the Bill of Rights is. Namely, the Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, and came into effect in December 1791. They include such “golden oldies” as the First Amendment:
“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.”
The Bill of Rights is about our civil liberties. It is about our freedom, the freedom for which men and women in uniform are fighting and dying. Protecting our civil liberties is not “pandering to radical Islam” or “caving into political correctness.” Denying our civil liberties plays into the hands of terrorists, letting those who would undermine American values, win.
Conservatives go on and on about the importance of upholding the Constitution. Their claim is that President Obama has been “trampling” the Constitution throughout his first 20 months in office. But suddenly, when he explicitly upholds the Constitutional rights of Muslims to build a place of worship on private land, these “staunch defenders” of the Constitution are nowhere to be seen.
Let’s give credit to Flordia Governor Charlie Crist, the former Republican now running as an independent candidate for senator, who supported Obama’s statement. Let’s give even more credit to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who actually led the way making a powerful speech in favor of religious freedom on August 3rd. The video of this 7-minute speech is here. Here’s the bit that I thought was most important:
“Whatever you may think of the proposed mosque and community center, lost in the heat of the debate has been a basic question: should government attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property, based on their particular religion?”
As we head into the midterm elections in November, before you make a decision about who deserves your vote, I’d ask that you take the time to ask the candidates whether or not they support the Bill of Rights. Use this case of the New York City mosque as a litmus test, because there really is only one way to support the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution. That’s to answer “no” to Mayor Bloomberg’s question: the government should not attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property, based on their particular religion.
christao408 
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
What is the history of this mosque? Was it in the planning process before 9/11/01? I completely agree with you; however, is there any wiggle room here to question the setting and the historical context?
By the facts/laws alone, yes they should be able to build a mosque there. It’s not like they’re building a mosque literally on top of Ground Zero. It’s NEAR Ground Zero. If a church would be acceptable near Ground Zero, then a mosque should be too.Also, the Republicans are stupid for saying that Obama is supporting “radical” Islam. Hello!? Moderate Islam actually provides a moderating influence that runs counter against the true Islamic fundamentalists. Well, the Republicans are stupid in general. I get mad just seeing McConnell or Boehner on TV; every word out of their mouths is deceitfully anti-Obama or anti-Democrat. I hope they get deported to Antarctica. The only Republican I’d ever vote for is a moderate/”RINO” like Schwarzenegger, Snowe, or Colin Powell. McCain used to be tolerable, but has gone off the deep end since losing the election.Back to the mosque issue, so I take it that you (Chris) would be against the burqa ban in France and the minaret ban in Switzerland? I dunno… I think evangelical Christianity and conservative Islam are bad all around – I hope they both go away. Eastern religions are fine and not so publicly self-righteous or sanctimonious; I’ve never been preached to by a Buddhist, Jain, or Hindu before. Those religions are more about personal ethics than about fanciful cosmology or eschatology. Why do we never hear Hindus proposing that Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva be taught in science classes as an “alternate theory”!? Because they’re not idiots. =/
So what the Republicans are saying now is that they recognize the right to build the mosque. But to build it so close to 9/11 is disrespectful to the victims and families of 9/11. I think they are now pandering to the misguided, uniformed and those that are to the far right to get their votes. Those 2 have absolutely nothing to do with each other. If the site is so sacred, then don’t build anything over it. Honestly – most of mainstream US is now so far right I don’t even recognize it anymore. Even my university educated cousin speaks of the Obama death committees who are out to get seniors. I just shake my head at his stupidity.
Ah. You have said elegantly what I have been thinking. Thank you!
I do agree…Amen!
@gottobereal64 – My understanding is that it was not in the planning stages prior to 9/11, but that the organization has been in the building for a year now using it as a place of worship, and would like to build a new building on the site to create a community center that can help it persue an inter-faith dialog, similar to what many Jewish community centers try to do.@ElusiveWords – There are two other mosques already in lower Manhattan, in the general vicinity of the World Trade Center, and there are many churches, too. The site for this community center is two blocks from the WTC but you cannot directly see the site. It seems to me that the location, while obviously a hot-button issue for many people, isn’t really relevant to their right to build there.@Senlin – Regarding the burqa ban in France and the minaret ban in Switzerland, I don’t have a particular opinion because I don’t know the laws of those countries. Every country has its own values and laws and I don’t think it is my place to necessarily tell them their values and laws are wrong, especially in democracies. But I do think that in the United States, our laws should be respected.@murisopsis – You’re welcome.@decembriel – Thank you. Have I ever told you how much I like your profile picture?
@christao408 – No — thank you! That’s nice to hear.
There’s hypocrisy on both sides, but on the right there seems to be a greater tendency to appeal to authority, be it scriptural or constitutional, and denounce anyone who does not bow to that authority as wicked, while then immediately spitting on that authority or ignoring it gleefully whenever they disagree with it. Like pastors that quote leviticus 20:13 to say that homosexuality is an abomination, then chop off and disregard literally the other half of the sentence which calls for the execution of gay men. How can you edit something while proclaiming it as an absolute divine authority we must all follow?As jon stewart pointed out too, all of these conservatives who are rallying to strip americans of their citizenship if one parent was an illegal alien, and repeal the 13th ammendment to do so, are the same people who say the other 6 days of the week the constitution is this flawless doctrine directly from god that us mere mortals can’t understand or possibly hope to improve upon.It’s just the bullshit of the moment. Like fox news denouncing people as “how dare you criticize a president in a time of war!” and then when a democrat gets elected it becomes “how dare you not criticize the president in a time of war!”.It was never genuine, it never is. It’s just spin and nonsense and bullshit. And if the fire and brimstone preachers were railing against things like dishonesty and hypocrisy, I could get behind that in a big way. But they’re railing against the f-word and boys kissing each other and tv programs they don’t like instead.
So ironic that US constantly puts India on the list of countries where religious freedom is under strain.
@Dezinerdreams – It is ironic, isn’t it? While India has its problems, let’s not forget that it is the world’s largest functioning democracy and has much greater religious diversity than the US has.@agnophilo – Thanks for adding to the conversation. There is certainly a lot to be frustrated about, isn’t there?@slinky – Thank you.
I thought it was interesting that when the president supported their right to build in that location, he was criticized for it. He said that he would not comment on the “wisdom” of doing so. I thought that was a good and balanced statement, but it was not presented kindly on the news this weekend. Nice post.
Pure unadulterated hate is why people are against the building of this. Akin to putting American born Japanese in internment camps in another era of America. America runs on fear and Republicans love it!!!!!!!!
Misinformation used as a fulcrum for further misinformation. That particular building site is as relevant (or rather, irrelevant) as any other portion of land in the country. Thinly disguised religious bigotry, and might I just say, you responded well to it. Probably better than it deserves.
Thanks for this post. I completely agree with it =)))
Agreed!
Many thanks to everyone for their constructive comments. I appreciate your contribution to the discussion.@BlogFest – “Hate” might be a little too strong a word, but I would agree with “pure unadulterated fear”. Throught America’s history, there have always been the new groups, the unfamiliar people who are looked at with suspicion. Are they American enough or are they too foreign? We’re at the stage where Muslims are one of those groups. Not that long ago, Catholics were also viewed with such suspicion. Remember that Kennedy’s election was viewed in some quarters with fear that the Vatican would be running the country. I just hope that Americans can rise above this fear.@oceanstarr – His initial statement was balanced, I agree. I’m sorry that the White House felt the need to recalibrate his statement in the days after, trying to carefully distance themselves from any politically dangerous positions.@ElliottStrange – Well, I think responding constructively is important in order to guide the discourse in a more civil direction. Invective doesn’t defeat invective, it only furthers strengthen it.@Hinase – @lonelywanderer2 – Thanks for adding your agreement.
Some already think the bill of rights are just guidelines. Others think it’s good when it applies to them. I just dont see why this is such an issue.
The Bill of Rights guarantees the freedom of religion, NOT the freedom to build houses of worship everywhere. The mosque at Ground Zero is a thumb in the eye to America and it’s culture, and worse a victory monument to the mass murderers of 9/11.Any country and culture has the right to protect itself from those who would destroy it.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – I guess that is why the US government systematically tried to destroy the Native American Indian religions and culture?
@christao408 – Always : ) Btw are you christian? Is your screenname christ ao or chris tao?And yeah, the lack of diversity in this country isn’t healthy. You have lots of upper/middleclass white christian men who have never been in any minority their entire lives and therefore literally just don’t get why america shouldn’t be their way or the highway. They think that if their religion isn’t forced on everyone else that they’re being persecuted.
@christao408 – “Well, I think responding constructively is important in order to guide the discourse in a more civil direction. Invective doesn’t defeat invective, it only furthers strengthen it.”I would agree but for the fact that our opponents in this are observably disinterested in reason. Discourse is only effective on a person who is capable of changing their mind. Granted, I definitely agree that vitriol is not the appropriate response; if only to avoid becoming as undignified as they. But I find myself unable to muster the patience required to talk to walls politely. @Ikwa – Don’t bother – no one cares about the grievances of my people anymore. Heck, some people don’t even know it happened.
@ElliottStrange – Mine too, friend, My father was saved from forced boarding school. He became a christian to fit in and it never worked. He never became excepted and wished he had learned more from his Father when he was young. My grand father had to practice his religious beliefs in secret unless the authorities found out.
@Ikwa – That sucks. My great-great-great so and so on my fathers side was murdered in his sleep by American soldiers, who kidnapped his son, thus setting my family line on track.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – With all due respect, the private property rights in the Constitution, along with the “free exercise thereof” portion of the First Amendment both come into play here. The mosque is on private property and is a use for which the property is zoned. The government does not have the right to prohibit someone from using that property as a place of worship, based upon what particular religion they practice. Thank you, though, for contributing in a civil way to the discussion.@agnophilo – My screen name has no religious inference.
@christao408 – Alrighty, though you didn’t answer which one it is : PAnd tao is short for tao te ching, taoism etc : P
A fascinating post, and the comments thereupon. The larger issue is of course whether the US is capable of any reasoned discussion lately. An (needed?) amendment to the Constitution prohibiting self-serving yellow journalism and political parties for whom opportunism is their only conviction would be difficult to phrase, but then again the Founding Fathers never envisioned a digital morass such as this.I, personally see, from my vantage point, mainly the hate-consumed philistine face of Islam, and pay to contain it daily in wasted tax-shekels and my sons’ lost youth. Yet I watch the US experiment with surprising objectivity. Until further notice, most of their/your Muslim population is simply another contribution to the ‘melting pot’, to use a justifiably out-dated expression.Not all of us Israelis see Mr. Obama’s insistence on the Constiution as a clever foot-in-the-door for jihad.Once again, I admire your balanced style here.
@christao408 – There are over 30 mosques in that area. Muslims know that what they are doing is a slap in the face of America. Just think of the uproar you and your fellow leftists would through if Wal-Mart or heaven forbid, a Christian Church were to be built there.And look how your hero Obama violated the Constititution and the property rights of BP when it extorted $20 billion from them for a crisis that never was. Where was your blog proclaiming tolerance and the sanctitiy of the Constititution and private property.Hypocrisy and anti-American dogma are at the root of your thinking, not civil rights and tolerance.
i hate politics.
@Ikwa – Indigenous, primitive hunter gatherer peoples were destroyed by superior industrialized and agrarian societies all over the world for millenia. Becoming American was the best thing that ever happened to the savage indigenous peoples of this great land.
My husband lost several dear friends and colleagues on 9/11 and witnessed the entire thing. It was a horrible, horrible day for our family and many others. And yet we completely agree with all that you have said here. It is important to remember what is at the core of the American way of life that those terrorists tried to destroy. Excellent post.
All I can say is amen (and rec this!)!!!
Can’t agree more.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – The Bill of Rights guarantees the freedom of religion, NOT the freedom to build houses of worship everywhere.One is a subset of the other. Under the free exercise clause, it would be unconstitutional for the government– state or federal– to object to the building of the cultural center on purely religious grounds.The mosque at Ground Zero is a thumb in the eye to America and it’s culture…It’s a cultural center and not a mosque, get your fucking facts straight; and it’s not at “ground zero,” it’s at a derelict shopping plaza two blocks away.
@ElusiveWords – Yeah no wonder the rest of the world laughs at us.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – If wanting to practice one’s religion in peace is a “slap in the face to America” then one of us is mistaken about the true foundations of this country. Hint: it’s not me.
LOVE THIS. Beautifully written, thank you!
So you are saying that calling the building of a mosque next to ground zero bad taste or an insult. Say that is an infringement on the first amendment?Me thinks that a lot of people are playing politics with this. Including you
I wrote about the history of the ‘controversy’ just today (from an article on Salon)The woman who started the controversy is the the founder if SIOA (Stop Islamification of America) AND the same person that wondered if Malcom X were President Obama’s father. The timeline is interesting (and sad).
“When did you stop supporting the Bill of Rights?”Governments are obligated to not support rights.
@RaVnR – Your usual liberal hallucination. Building the mosque at Ground Zero is a slap in the face to America and that action, committed by Muslims, with the aide and comfort of unAmerican liberals, is hardly the peaceful practice of one’s religion.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – As a “leftist” I say you’re wrong about how I would feel if a walmart or christian church was built there (by the way, there are plenty of leftists who are also christians) build a Walmart, build a church, build a zen center, build a super sized dairy queen, build a monster Goodwill store, build a Animal or human rescue structure, build a fabric store, build a freakin GUN Store for all I care, it’s THEIR PROPERTY. It’s not on ground zero.I’ve always said this is a matter of private property. If the private property is zoned properly to build an institute of religious worship, then it is, and anybody who doesn’t like it will just have to not like it.I’m surprised at these right wingers coming out against the matter of “privately owned property” and what one can do with same.I thought the concept of private property was a huge part of the “American culture” it’s just the way we do things in this country. @Ikwa – Good point. @trunthepaige – but of course the rightwingers would never do any such thing as play politics on this? The fact is, it is political because the rightwingers are making an issue of something that is resolved American law. At least @LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – has one person on here who sees things her way. Otherwise, she’d be so all alone!
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – slap in the face to America, come up with a new original cliche, I beg.
Very well said.
@Diva_Jyoti – Being devoid of any valid argument the liberal attempts to take control of the language.Sorry. But “slap in the face to America” says exactly what I want it to say. You don’t get to control my language.
@Diva_Jyoti – Then why aren’t you raising hell about Saint Michael’s Orthodox Church that was destroyed in the 9/11 attack but was not allowed to rebuild because of the New York Port Authority?
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – I sure don’t control your langage, but it sure is boring. I wasn’t suggesting you say something different in terms of content, as to your actual point, we all know that would never happen. I just think you could find a more creative original way to say the same thing, since you’ve already said ‘slap in the face to America’ about 6 times on here. I guess we all hear you, but it isn’t changing our minds.
@LoBornlytesThoughtPalace – Why am I not raising hell about that? Well, I have a lot of things that I’m busy raising hell about, LOL. Also, I was in India during 9.11 and out of the country for 2 years subsequent to that. I don’t know about what you are talking about, but maybe you have a perfectly valid point with that one. Maybe you could blog about it and explain it to us. If you do that, tag me and I’ll read it! Promise!
Why are people so butthurt that it’s going to be built at ground zero? These people weren’t the ones who crashed into the twin towers. They aren’t even supporters of that action!!!!! They are a peaceful group of religious people wishing to build a place of worship. Maybe they are trying to pray for the mistakes their brothers made.Who knows and who cares!! When we start saying who can do what, where, because of religion, we have violated the bill of rights. And people think that the bill of rights only applies when it works in their favor. Bullshit. Grow up.
@Diva_Jyoti – How dare they say that building of a mosque next to the site of an Islamic terrorist attack is in poor taste. Maybe we should make laws against saying that?But why do I think you might say something a bit negative if after Dr tiller was murdered for being an abortioninist, his late term abortion clinic was bought by an anti abortion group and turned into a Crisis Pregnancy Centers.