NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

The Ground Zero Mosque Should Be Allowed to be Built

By John Danz Jr

We are a nation that is supposedly tolerant of people of all faiths. You know, that whole "freedom of religion" thing, a platitude of which is at best negotiable in this nation when it comes to Christians and more specifically, followers of Islam.

With that in mind, why are so many people incensed over a mosque being erected near Ground Zero?

On a basic level, all faiths should be represented in this nation equally. Unfortunately, Christians make up the majority in this nation, so that is impossible. On any given day, you'll see at least two or three churches during your morning commute. How many mosques will you see? Synagogues? Depending on where you live, not many. So why are we so upset about a mosque being built?

If a Christian church were being built instead of a mosque, I will guarantee you there would be no protests, no opposition and no fear. These are most likely the same people who would complain about a homeless shelter being built near their home - NIMBY, anyone? "Another church? Build it now! I just don't want those gross poor people around me." Same goes for a jail or any other institution that could be built to actually help those less fortunate than them. This marks the end of that sententious rant!

"But John, they're terrorist bastards! MURDERERS! Why should we represent their religion, especially near a place as emotionally sensitive as Ground Zero?" First of all, incredulous inquirer, not all Muslims are terrorists and extremists. They should be allowed a place to worship just as those of more accepted religions are, no matter where it is. It's no secret that the sight of a Muslim these days is a sight that invokes trepidation within ignorant and shallow imbeciles, however, that's not very Christian, is it? That whole thing about judging is so often overlooked by Christians, much like that whole thing about "Thou shalt not kill." Believe it or not, many Muslims actually condemned the actions of the hijackers! Some of them actually - wait for it - pray for peace and cessation of extremism and needless murder! Imagine that!

If I may venture into another small tangent here - Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was allegedly attacked with a grenade today. The response from most? "GOOD! Try again!" Really? If you consider yourself a Christian and call for the death of another human being, consider following a religion that isn't so easy to twist for your own soulless, albeit human impulses. I'm specifically targeting the kind of Christians who are against abortion but for the death penalty here. Point? Simple hypocrisy and ignorance. The man is dangerous and murderous, but calling for his death makes you no better than the extremists who call for our leader's deaths.

So they killed 2,000 of our people and destroyed our planes and towers. They give us less time at the airport to visit Starbucks and check our email because of the higher security measures (which should have been in place to begin with). They made impressionable, ignorant people instantly run from the sight of a turban. My overall point is this: Many Christians will be quick to inform me that just because a few Christians are extreme and overbearing, not all of them are. So how does that NOT work conversely with Muslims? Are Christians so much better than Muslims? No. Frankly, there are insufferable twits on both sides.

Overall, this world has much too much wrong with it to focus our often-divided attention on something such as the mosque ordeal. Get on with your lives, go to your church of choice, worship, live, love, and leave theirs to them.

John Danz Jr. is a work in progress, who enjoys the freedom of writing. Contact him at undertakerlives@gmail.com.