The truth and the Mosque

It's not about religious liberty

The debate over the Mosque at Ground Zero is dishonest, pure and simple. It has nothing to do with religious liberty but everything to do with honesty. Every right thinking American understands that our liberty is derived from the natural law that flows from our Creator and not given by government. Religious liberty is the first freedom enshrined in our Bill of Rights that sustain our rights as Americans. It is without question that in America, one has the freedom to worship, the freedom to advocate for their religious beliefs and the right to be free from the interference of government, however the question is one of truth. The right to follow a set of religious principles should never include the right to engage in armed conflict against those who reject its tenets. Considering the role Islamic fascism played in the 911 attacks, the tolerance for radical jihadists within the Islamic community and their association with those that want to build the Ground Zero Mosque, it is certainly prudent to seek the truth.   

The Imam behind the mosque project, Imam Feisal Rauf has a troubling history. He actually claimed that America was an accessory to 911, has refused to condemn Hamas as a terror group, supports the imposition of Sharia law in the United States and has been linked to the extremist group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

During an interview with "60 Minutes on September 30, 2001, Rauf stated, "I wouldn't say that the United States deserved what happened, but United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened". When pressed to explain, he elaborated, "Because we have been accessory to a lot of innocent lives dying in the world. In fact, in the most direct sense, Osama bin Laden is made in the USA."  In July 2005 during a public lecture in Adelaide Australia he declared, “We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than al-Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non-Muslims”.

In his 2004 book "What's Right with Islam", he advocated for Sharia law and claimed that the “American political structure is Shariah-compliant” as the “American Constitution and system of governance uphold the core principles of Islamic law,”. Sharia law allows for violence against women including honor killing, brutal discipline for immorality such as stoning and severe persecution against Jews and Christians. Why should America adopt the religious law of such countries as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Afghanistan (pre 2001)? In March of this year speaking in Arabic, he stated "I don't believe in interfaith dialogue" yet he claims that this is the very reason for building the Mosque at Ground Zero when speaking to his American audience. 

Rauf's association with extremists is well documented. Jamal Barzinji who is the founder of the American branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and the founder of the Dar al-Hijrah Mosque in Falls Church, Virginia is one of the trustees of Rauf's Cordoba Initiative (Ground Zero Mosque project) now called Park51. The Falls Church Mosque was where two 911 hijackers worshiped and was the Mosque where the latest terrorists worshipped, Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, airline bomber Umar Farouk Shahzad and Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad. Rauf father, Dr. Muhammad Abdul Rauf was a follower of the Muslim Brotherhood. He named Rauf as the trustee of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York. Under Rauf's leadership, the first Iman Sheik Muhammad Gemeaha implied that Jews were responsible for the 911 attacks. With a significant list of troubling statements and radical associations, Is he a man of peace? What are his intentions?  

Looking back in history, it was common practice for Muslims to signify their conquest over Jewish and Christian believers by building their Mosques on the ruins of Synagogues and churches. Two examples are the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and in Cordoba, Spain. The original name of the Ground Zero Mosque was referred to as the "Cordoba House". Again it would entail building a Mosque on the ruins of Ground Zero to signify Islam's conquest over America and was scheduled to open on the tenth anniversary of 911. This is an act of provocation. This is why  the Ground Zero Mosque has the support of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Why then would any person with common sense fail to understand why a majority of Americans oppose the location of the project?

What is shameful is the hypocrisy of those who support the Mosque. Mayor Bloomberg who stated in a August 25th speech that there was no middle ground when it comes to religious liberty has been outright hostile to people of faith who are non-Muslims. Back in 2002, a Christian mother in Skoros v. City of New York sued the NYC public school system for refusing to allow the display of a nativity scene. The Mayor's Board of Education allowed the display of other religious symbols such as a Menorah which the Supreme Court ruled is a religious symbol and Muslim religious symbols but specifically rejected a symbol which is the core of Christianity. The Mayor fought the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme court which declined to hear the parent's appeal. In another instance of the Mayor's bigotry, his Board of Education in the matter of Bronx Household of Faith v. City of New York refused to allow a local Bronx church to use a public school building after hours. What made his action so egregious was that the principle of equal access which was the heart of this case, was firmly established by legislation and a Supreme Court ruling, Good News Club v. Milford Central School. So the Mayor went ahead and fought the church knowing full well what he was doing was wrong both legally and morally yet the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals had to force his hand.

The President is suppose to be an healer and not a divider yet his administration has been openly hostile to people of faith unless one is a Muslim. Who can forget his comments in June 2007 when he said,  “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation — at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.” Sorry Mr. President, American is and remains a Judeo-Christian Nation. Then in a 2009 speech abroad in Turkey, he declared, we “do not consider ourselves a Christian nation” at all. Then he makes a remarkable statement, "And one of the points I want to make is, is that if you actually took the number of Muslims Americans, we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world." He went on to praise Islam by declaring without any facts “We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world — including in my own country.” President Obama is the first President to skip the national day of pray but was available to host a Ramadan celebration at the White House.

His administration has been openly hostile to Israel and the Jewish people. Instead of supporting Israel when they were being vilified for enforcing a blockade against Gaza, he criticized the Israeli military for protecting its soldiers who were ferociously attacked by Hamas backed terrorists for boarding a vessel trying to break the blockade. He has also insisted that Israel stop building settlements in Jerusalem, their capital. Even worse, his administration has done nothing to stop a nuclear armed Iran which has Israel in the cross hairs. Instead of protecting Israel, he offered direct talks with Iran and warned Israel not to take any action. In regards to the Ground Zero Mosque, the President defended the location saying, [they] "have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country ... That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances." When he realized that he put his foot in his mouth, he clarified his position the next day saying he was "not commenting on the wisdom" of the project, only that the government should treat "everyone equal, regardless" of religion.

The Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi chose to blindly ignore the concerns of a majority of Americans over the Ground Zero Mosque and actually had the gall to call for an investigation of the Mosque's opponents many of whom were the survivors of those lost on September 11th. Hip Hop celebrity Russell Simons came out in support of the Mosque and put up a sign in his Manhattan home, "Co-Exist" yet he has been a supporter of racist Louis Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam. Governor Paterson actually showed some leadership when he offered to broker a compromise. Unfortunately, the Attorney General and Gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo took the opposite position in support of the project without offering any solution to the controversy.

While the supporters of the Ground Zero Mosque seek to cloud the debate over claims of religious liberty, their actions show otherwise in how they treat people of faith who are non-Muslim. Legitimate questions remain as to views of Imam Feisal Rauf and his backers as well as their motives for the location of the Mosque. The wounds of 911 remain open and are vivid reminders of the extremes of Islam. While not all Muslims espouse the radical philosophy of Islamic fascism, the Muslim community needs to reassure Americans of their commitment to peace and conciliation. One place to start is by moving the Ground Zero Mosque.