The "Mosque" in New York.

My Take:

   First lets lay down the facts.

• A group of people want to build a community center in downtown New York near ground zero.
• It is going to be primarily for Muslims and will have a prayer room.
• The terrorist act of 9/11 was committed by Muslim "extremists".

So here is the debate. Building something along these lines so close to ground zero is pissing off a lot of people. It will be a constant reminder to those who have been affected by 9/11. However there are some other things to consider.

Constitution states freedom of religion. We are also the "land of the free". If we follow everything we stand for then there should be no debate on this "mosque".

The issue is that most Americans are misinformed. If you ask the average American about the Muslim religion it will almost always link to terrorism. While it was Muslim extremists who were involved in 9/11, it doesn't mean that all Muslims are terrorists. So even calling it a mosque is inaccurate because its not even a mosque, its a community center.

This being said, choosing to build it so close to ground zero is a huge mistake for a few reasons. Its going to attract a lot of unwanted attention. It will probably be constantly vandalized. Completely peaceful Muslims who go to this community center are going to be criticized and labeled as terrorists. Having it so close to ground zero is a huge mistake. They could easily build it farther away and avoid most of these issues, along with it probably being cheaper.

So why are they building it so close? Some might say to make a strong religious and political statement. Throwing it in our faces that Muslims can do something so terrible, then move in next door. Some might say its based solely on demographics and it is just a convenient location for Muslims.

Whichever the case, it is going to be a constant reminder to those who have been affected by 9/11 every time they pass it. So my stance is this: Build it. Absolutely. I fully support freedom of religion and think its great they want to make a community center. But don't build it next to a place of grief knowing that it will only bring more grief and will endanger your people.