I totally understand that this is a touchy subject and I never want to offend any of you. I'm just trying to put for the questions that we need to ask before jumping the gun. Do you think those Japanese tourists blame all Americans for the bombing of Hiroshima? I could totally understand if someone wanted to raise a statue of Osama but this just a mosque. I think the wounds are still too fresh though.
personally I feel it shows poor judgement from the authorities although I fully applaud any efforts to bring closer ties between the western and muslim worlds.... as 4biddenpleasures said, the wounds are still fresh especially when our soldiers are still out in the stan fighting a war that was a direct result of that day. And Twinimini, I agree there must be alternative areas they can build in that would not cause such heated debate, if this goes ahead it really has the potential to backfire quite badly.
It's interesting how it seems the majority of people blame the muslim world for 9/11. I blame that on the generalizations in the media. Did you know that a large number of people in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan believe that the CIA orchestrated the attacks so that we could invade Afghanistan? I only say this because there is misinformation and half truths being fed on both sides. In order for this BS to stop we have to see through it and stop blaming people that aren't involved.
I agree that there is a coloring of opinion on both sides, but when you have massive demonstrations of people who all are Moslems chanting "Death to America" it becomes hard to ignore and not paint them all with the same brush. Is that right? Of course not, but that is human nature. Our survival instincts tell us when there is danger and for many of us the sight of a burqua or a young Middle Eastern looking man with a beard triggers that instinct. Members of that religion have declared war on the West and it sure looks like many of their fellow Moslems agree with that war, so it is very difficult to not feel some level of animosity. Our level of freedom in the West makes us a direct threat to many in Islam and many in the Moslem religion have vowed to die trying to destroy us. That certainly doesn't make me want to see a mosque on the doorsteps of Ground Zero in NY City.
on the same note, the 22yr old white guy that lives across the street from my work just killed his girlfriend with a "single gunshot wound to the head" and burried her in his backyard.
Both ground zero and the new mosque have the potential of coming to represent the victory of radical Islam Some of you who live nearby or visit the area often could tell us whether any groups come to "ground zero" to do any little celebrations or not: this could help predict what kind of activities we might expect from the "few" if the mosque is built
There are nutcases all over regardless of race or religion, but when someone has the STATED purpose of showing that their culture is really not violent and they do something violent, it makes their mantra seem even more hollow. It's along the lines of the religious fanatic getting caught with a hooker, Al Gore wasting energy, or John Kerry not paying his sales tax. Whenever anyone becomes a focal point for a given position and they do just the opposite, it makes them look hypocritical and their platform look meaningless. Think of Mel Gibson doing commercials for anger management.
The American bombing of Hiroshima has no similarity to the Terrorist attacks of 9/11. The two events are not morally equivalent what-so-ever. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the result of WW II where the Japanese attacked the USA at Pearl Harbor first on Dec 7th, 1941. By August 1945, the Japanese were essentially militarily ineffective, yet they still refused to surrender and were preparing civilians to repel an invasion of the Japanese Homeland with any weapons obtainable. America chose to drop the Atomic bombs vs. loosing hundreds of thousand more soldiers in a Japanese invasion. On the other hand, Islamic terrorist radicals used civilian airliners as human guided missiles to attack innocent Americans on 9/11, again absolutely no moral equivalent – none. The Cordoba Mosque could be built any where else in NYC. So why at block away from ground zero? Why at sacred-hollowed ground? In reality it's NOT that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf wants to provide healing, but to make a political statement. I agree with this article from the WSJ by DAN SENOR: "An Open Letter on the Ground Zero Mosque. The location undermines the goal of interfaith understanding" Dan Senor: An Open Letter on the Ground Zero Mosque - WSJ.com "Those attacks, as you well know, were committed in the name of Islam. We applaud and thank every Muslim throughout the world who has rejected and denounced this association. But the fact remains that in the minds of many who are swayed by the most radical interpretations of Islam, the Cordoba House will not be seen as a center for peace and reconciliation. It will rather be celebrated as a Muslim monument erected on the site of a great Muslim "military" victory—a milestone on the path to the further spread of Islam throughout the world.... Another site—not just away from Ground Zero but also closer to residential neighborhoods—would serve your institution and the city better. Worshipers would be closer and the communities that need help would also benefit from proximity. We stand ready to help you select and secure another site, to overcome regulatory hurdles, and to make up for any lost time. The American people have shown themselves to be respectful of Muslim religious sensibilities—even in cases in which it was not clear to them why or how those sensibilities were being offended. We shall confine ourselves to one example among hundreds. The original name for the military operation against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan was "Operating Infinite Justice." Several leading Muslim scholars and clerics objected that the term was offensive to Muslims because "infinite justice" can come only from Allah. The American government immediately changed the name to "Operation Enduring Freedom," with the full support of the American people. The name seemed to us to be immaterial to the mission—which is why we judged the change to be a worthy gesture to people whom we did not wish to offend but hoped to honor. Similarly, the exact street address of your cultural center cannot matter to the performance of its mission—but it very much does matter to the perceptions of your fellow Americans. We urge you to reconsider."
Dont forget the vast majority of Muslims that do NOT agree with this bs (bombings, the view on women etc.) If I were to judge Americans of what I see in the media, I would NEVER set my foot in your country... :blueshock:
I think we're going to have to disagree here. The bombing of Hiroshima (and Nagasaki) did have one major similarity... they killed civilians. Now I'm not going to argue if it was right or wrong that's not my point here. My point is do you think those tourists at Pearl Harbor blame all Americans for the deaths of their countrymen. I hope not. You need to separate the fanatic from the religion.
