"Indecent Proposal....Intentional Provocation"

Excellent editorial by NRO editors this morning, strongly condemning the proposed construction of a "community center" (mosque) in Manhattan, two blocks from Ground Zero. Those who support the project reject arguments against it, not surprisingly casting opponents as either intolerant or xenophobic. Perhaps this is true of some, or a few. But what I'm hearing from those who are sounding the alarm about this project, is that we have every reason to be quite concerned about a) who is funding this project, and b) the motives behind the project. By reminding readers that the Islamic cleric who is spearheading the project, Feisal Abdul Rauf, wrote a book titled, A Call to Prayer from the World Trade Center Rubble: Islamic Dawa in the Heart of America Post 9-11., and that the word "dawa" means Islamic proselytyzing, the editors make it clear this is not about "religious tolerance" but about something far more insidious.

Barack Obama has been strangely mum on the issue. His press secretary says Obama won't get involved in a "local issue." Since when did "local issue" stop B.O. from opining? There was that little local incident at Harvard, about which Obama had quite the say. And the other local issue in Arizona. Lawsuit, anyone? "Ground Zero," it seems to me, doesn't "belong" to New York. As the NRO editors rightly point out, it is "the gravesite of 3,000 Americans who died at the hands of Islamist radicals" in the single-worst attack on American soil in our history. That block belongs to Americans. I agree with the editors: for shame on those politicians and city planners and leaders for promoting this project.

Not at Ground Zero
(NRO editorial, August 4, 2010)

Wrong on So Many Levels

Just read that the "Cordoba House" project (mosque 2 blocks from Ground Zero) has cleared its final hurdle with a vote approving the project by New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission. This is wrong on so many levels. I only hope that, regardless of this vote, there will be a groundswell of opposition at the grassroots level. Shouldn't everyone in the country have a say in this matter?

Cordoba House Clears Last Hurdle, Moves Forward

The Anti-Defamation League Does Not Support Cordoba House

The ADL announced its opposition to the $100,000 mosque project in New York City. See write up here.

This announcement had to take some courage on the part of the ADL since the liberal organization now seems to be on the same side of the issue as arch-conservatives Gingrich and Palin, among others. Yet another example of politics making strange bedfellows.

I hope the arguments against the project, now growing in intensity and prominence, prevail. Surely this decision belongs as much to the nation as it does to New York residents. Ground Zero is the sight of a devastating and unprecedented attack on American soil. The decision about how and what to build on this sight should be a national one. Barack Obama has yet to weigh in. Perhaps he's doing what he does best--waiting it out, sniffing the wind, watching the polls--before staking out a position. While it would be easy to guess where he stands on the issue, here is one non-Obama supporter who hopes he gets it right for once and speaks on behalf of the most Americans in decrying this not-so-subtle attempt by radical Islamist organizations to thumb their noses at the United States. Take a stand, Mr. President.

The Los Angeles Times Supports Cordoba House

I sent in a Letter to the Editor this morning to the Los Angeles Times, in response to their editorial in today's paper called "Ground Zero for Tolerance." They argue in favor of the construction in New York City of an "Islamic Community Center" (aka mosque) 2 blocks from Ground Zero. They cite Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich, who have been vocal opponents of the project, before making their case that the center will be a place for the promotion of religious tolerance. Their source for such a claim is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is spearheading the project. They take his words at face-value with little or no apparent scrutiny. I took offense at the editorial on several levels, which is why my letter won't be published (too long, for one, and also, making two points, a no-no if ever there were one). Since it won't be published, I'll copy it here. I'm linking to the original editorial below. Here's my too-long/bifurcated Letter to the Editor:

It's becoming increasingly apparent that the Los Angeles Times simply can't be trusted for intelligent and informative commentary. In your editorial, "Ground Zero for Tolerance," you gleefully bat down two "straw men" (Palin and Gingrich) as representative voices against the construction of the Cordoba House two blocks from Ground Zero, even managing to slip in a dig over Palin's misuse of the word "repudiate" in her Twitter post. I teach English at a community college, and one of the things I teach my students is to "argue against the best representation of your opposition," as Sydney Callahan put it. "If you can't state the opposing side's argument better than they can, and then show why the position is unsatisfactory," she wrote, "you haven't done your homework." Trying to score points with your readers by mocking Sarah Palin and distorting Newt Gingrich's words is not doing your homework. How about addressing some real concerns about the project, such as the following (to name a few):

• Contrary to your editorial, the construction of this building is not about religious tolerance. America is plenty tolerant of Muslims. According to the website American Muslim Perspective, there is a total Muslim population of 6-7 million in America, two million of which are associated with mosques. A 2007 survey by the Muslim Group of America listed 1,462 mosques in America. 

• Your  editorial quotes Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf as saying that the purpose of this center is to "push back against [Islamic] extremists." In reality, according to Andrew G. Bostom, Rauf is a "full-throated champion of the very same Muslim theologians and jurists identified in a landmark NYPD report as central to promoting the Islamic religious bigotry that fuels modern jihad terrorism."

• You say nothing about the significance of the naming of this so-called "Islamic Community Center." The "Great Mosque of Cordoba" built in the capital of Southern Spain, was built in the 8th century after the Islamic conquest. Symbolically, Cordoba implies Islamic rule and conquest. Nothing peaceful or tolerant about that.

It may surprise you to discover that your readers are smarter than you think. If we can't get reliable commentary from the Los Angeles Times, we'll find it elsewhere. Meanwhile, even if you don't publish this letter in your paper, I suggest your editorial board start doing their homework. 

 Sincerely, etcetera. I provided links to some good articles and blogs I've read recently. I'll link them below for the interested reader who is not easily dismissed by condescending editors.

"Let Religious Freedom Ring," Editorial, Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2010

"Behind the Mosque: Extremism at Ground Zero?" by Andrew G. Bostom, New York Post,  July 23, 2010

"Rauf's Dawa from the New York Trade Center's Rubble," by Andrew C. McCarthy, NRO, July 24, 2010

"Iraqi Columnist in Arab Media Warns of Cordoba Initiative," at Atlas Shrugs, by Pamela Gellar, posted May 28, 2010.

And so on.