Sighhhh!!! America, must you go out of your way to make yourself a public embarrassment? As someone who has spent a considerable time living outside the U.S.A., I have grown weary of what America says about itself and not what people outside the US say about them. We are our worst PR enemies. I speak another language well enough that I am often mistaken for a European (Hollander, Dane, etc) but NOT as an American. You would be surprised what folks at a beer table say about "Yanks" when they believe there are no "Yanks" at the table. I can only surmise from these past experiences what is being spoken about concerning America's latest obsession with "hallowed" grounds. Let me first note that the entire issue on the "hallowed" ground surrounding ground zero is a New York City issue. Five blocks away from ground zero there is an already existing Islamic Mosque. It has been there for over fifty years. No one has asked them to move from this location since 9/11 and no one has accused the congregation of being wild eyed terrorist. But of course that Mosque is FIVE blocks away and not THREE blocks away. Now the Islamic believers want to use a building that they own located three blocks away from ground zero as an Islamic Cultural Center. It will not be a Mosque but more like a recreation site for believers in Islam. The fact that it is two blocks closer (and shielded from ground zero by an entire city block of high rise buildings) has somehow created a mysterious power to corrupt and somehow threaten the people of New York City. Incidentally the power of Islam to impart supernatural powers on its followers was the only legitimate reason that the Guantanamo prisoners could not be tried in New York City. Obviously these powers would have given them the opportunity to overpower 8,000 New York police officers, at least that many Federal guards and 12 million citizens of New York and escape into the darkness to reign terror on all of America. Them Islamic folks are one powerful group of wizards. So now we are all upset about people in the US exercising their right of free worship and the unobstructed free practice of their religion not for legal reasons but rather because it is "insensitive." Of course, American "true blooded" Yanks who carry insulting banners at the funerals of fallen soldiers is OK and we cannot prohibit their right to commit this rather "insensitive" act. How many streets, buildings, homes etc. have good old white America built on native American "hallowed" grounds? Did we ask them first? Does the "Trail of Tears" ring a bell about what happened when native Americans had the audacity to complain about the abuse of their ancestral and "hallowed" grounds? Chicago, Los Angelas, Tucson, Miami, are just a few of the US major cities built on grounds once held entirely by proud native American entities. If American wants to honor "hallowed" grounds, might I suggest Selma, Alabama and its civil rights abuses or all of Texas and it's wanton and illegal confiscation of land belonging to another sovereign entity. Incidentally, being "hallowed" ground in New York City has not slowed the promulgation of new peep-shows and porn shops surrounding ground zero but that is OK. Obviously, nothing more American than a peep-show. Yes America, we all know how much you honor our "hallowed" grounds if only you could just once actually read the US Constitution you might be surprised at just how legal these Muslims are acting on this issue.
Well said, my friend. It's a crying shame that others on that side of the Atlantic can't see things so clearly.
ReplyDeleteAmericans, and in particular New Yorkers, have nothing to fear from a mosque or Islamic Centre anywhere in the US, near to the site of the World Trade Centre or not. What they should be afraid of is bigotry and intolerance. That is what has bred the situation that we see at present.
Currently people are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan as a direct consequence of this. You should be proud of your position. Well done.
There are as many kooks and bigots in any country you visit, it's a shame the press just concentrates more on your kooks.
ReplyDeleteAmerica will probably show its inherent tolerance and inclusivness of the majority of it citizens by finding a way around this.
New York people should allow the building of the centre for the reason you allude too above. It will also show the minority Islamist bigots that America will not turn its back on true muslims who wish to live in a tolerant society.
A citizen of the UK