Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Will Everyone Just Shut Up About the Ground Zero Mosque?


I am so sick of the comments on TV and online about the " Ground Zero Mosque" that I can hardly stand it.   I am offended by the hysteria and  mis informed commentary and now I just have to say, will everybody please just shut up?

Maybe New Yorkers should have a say, but the nonsensical victim mentality of those from all over the United States who oppose the construction of an Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan is just ludicrous, as is the number of Senators and Congressmen weighing in on the issue for purely political reasons.

The demonstrations and the mob mentality are just awful with their assumptions that all Muslims are terrorists and that this lower Manhattan neighborhood is " hallowed ground"  (oh puhleeeze-- the neighborhood is full of everything from fast food to strip joints). Frankly, I think it is just crazy. But then these seem to be the same people who want to think of America as a " Christian country" ( their brand of Christianity of course) and who simply won't believe that the founding fathers very firmly rejected the notion of  a State religion.

Have these folks thought about what a slippery slope they are on?  If  you can reject the construction of a mosque today, then a Mormon center,  a Synagogue, a Christian Science Reading room, or an Evangelical Christian Megachurch  could be next. 

Oh yes, and by the way, what kind of message are you sending to the Muslim street in the Middle East... or in Dearborn, Michigan for that matter?   Let's see,half of Pakistan is under water and millions of Muslims are in terrible shape there and desperately in need of help, and all you can think about is stopping a Sufi imam and his congregation from building a community center in downtown Manhattan that caters to the larger community and incorporates a mosque-- wow-- who are the assholes in this picture hmmmmm?

For those of you who don't know it, Thomas Jefferson rewrote the New Testament taking out all references to miracles and the divinity of Jesus.   George Washington though officially Anglican, was a deist who did not often attend church and never took communion. He used to leave after the sermon whenever he could and while he was a believer in God, he was not religious.  Boston and Philadelphia were founded by religious dissenters who knew very well what religious bigotry wedded to political power could do.There was a reason that our constitution mandated  not only strict separation of church and state, but also, tolerance for all faiths, no matter how oddball-- and we have got some pretty oddball religions here, I must say.

 As long as church and state are truly separate, neither the Taliban nor the Southern Baptists can force their religion on anybody but they are both free to practice their religion without fear.   Their protection is our protection too . So, just shut up and stop whining OK?  You  might be surprised at how it all turns out.

3 comments:

mommapolitico said...

Girl, you are SO right on! What a terrific post. I am sold, and am subscribing in my google reader! Nice work.

Thanks for yelling out, "No more!" Maddow said it well-none of these RWNJ stories were even news stories, but ginned up bullpuckey they produced on Fox or right wing websites as "news."

Terrific blog - will spread the word! About time, Girlfriend! ;)

Unknown said...

Thanks for that fabulous comment and shot it the arm-- you are the best, momma:-) This post really came from my heart and I am really glad you liked it.

JamaGenie said...

Whether a Muslim community center should be built only blocks from Ground Zero is the least of our worries these days.

How 'bout busing the protesters to K Street in DC instead to protest the selling out of America by lobbyists working for Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Box stores, air and water polluters, and developers who won't be happy until every inch of green space sports a multi-story condo or a parking lot?