Religious freedom and the N.Y. mosque

By The Gazette Editorial Board

With respect to those who say a proposal to build the Park51 mosque and community center two blocks away from the World Trade Center site in New York is personally hurtful ... while we do wonder if there wouldn't have been a more diplomatic way to bring the proposal forward ... we disagree the project itself is disrespectful.

Since the plan was announced, politicians and pundits have seized on the issue's alleged complexities. They've sifted through archives and poured over Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's public statements in an effort to puzzle out whether he's “for us or against us” in the fight against terrorism.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani recently accused the imam of “selling sensitivity,” of “creating this vicious, sort of angry battle” by planning to build so near Ground Zero.

New York Gov. David Paterson has proposed a land swap that would allow the center to be built on a different site.

There also has been decidedly uncivil dialogue about the proposal. We won't gratify firebrands by discussing their divisive rhetoric and blatant untruths here.

And we respectfully disagree with those who argue that building the center so close to Ground Zero dishonors the memory of the victims of the horrific Sept. 11, 2001, attack linked to al-Qaida terrorists. Instead, it would be a landmark to our nation's strength.

Park51 developers envision the center - to include recreation facilities and child care services, cultural exhibitions, a library, and a 9/11 memorial - to be open to all.

We're disheartened that it seems necessary to repeat here what should be obvious by now: Al-Qaida's radical agenda does not represent Islam.

Terrorism is a tactic, and not one that's limited to any particular faith.

The United States is home to mllions of peaceful Muslim Americans, many who have been part of this country's cultural and religious tapestry for generations. Some have given their lives defending our freedoms in the military, still others were among the innocent victims killed on 9/11.

But it's more than unacceptable to condemn an entire religion because of radical extremism - it's unconstitutional.

President Barack Obama recently remarked that our founders understood the best way to guarantee religious freedom was to guarantee it for people of every faith - or none.

“And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious - a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe,” he said. We agree.

Moving Park51 in response to fierce, sometimes hateful, rhetoric would be a defeat for religious freedom - one of the great foundations of this country.