Sunday, August 15, 2010
Mosque Of Wits
It started out as a story I'd been following in the New York press and now it's a national one: the proposed mosque near Ground Zero.
I happen to think religion is dumb. But I also think people should have a right to choose whichever one they want, or make up their own, or not have one at all (recommended!). In fact, that's what this country is supposedly all about. People have that right. When the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks happened, lots of people made sure to remind everyone of that. The word "freedom" was tossed around like a rag salad. But now those same people are offended at the thought of someone practicing a religion other than theirs.
What if the attackers had been white Christians? I get the feeling none of these people would be upset about a church going up near the site of the attack. In fact, they loved it when two of the twin towers' beams made a cross right on the site--the mosque would be two blocks away.
I respect the victims of the attacks. These people worked in a diverse city, and practiced all different faiths. I would hope that they would have seen a controversy like this and said, "Yay, America, keep on allowing freedom of religion and don't let the terrorists change us!" But they're gone, so it's up to their families and every other American who truly cares about freedom to speak up.
A Baltimore Sun reporter wrote a great article about this whole thing--which among other things gives a better idea of what exactly they're proposing.
Sox in the country of Texas, 3:05 eastern. It's gonna be fuckin' hot.
I happen to think religion is dumb. But I also think people should have a right to choose whichever one they want, or make up their own, or not have one at all (recommended!). In fact, that's what this country is supposedly all about. People have that right. When the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks happened, lots of people made sure to remind everyone of that. The word "freedom" was tossed around like a rag salad. But now those same people are offended at the thought of someone practicing a religion other than theirs.
What if the attackers had been white Christians? I get the feeling none of these people would be upset about a church going up near the site of the attack. In fact, they loved it when two of the twin towers' beams made a cross right on the site--the mosque would be two blocks away.
I respect the victims of the attacks. These people worked in a diverse city, and practiced all different faiths. I would hope that they would have seen a controversy like this and said, "Yay, America, keep on allowing freedom of religion and don't let the terrorists change us!" But they're gone, so it's up to their families and every other American who truly cares about freedom to speak up.
A Baltimore Sun reporter wrote a great article about this whole thing--which among other things gives a better idea of what exactly they're proposing.
Sox in the country of Texas, 3:05 eastern. It's gonna be fuckin' hot.
Comments:
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I can't support this mosque at Ground Zero, Jere. I have no problem with mosques being built, just not there. As someone who lost a dear friend there, I have followed this closely. It has caused many of the 9/11 victims' families great pain. The victims' families have been shat upon by the city for nearly 9 years. Sensitivity is a two-way street. The mosque builders should have some for them.
Sorry, it's a personal thing for me.
Sorry, it's a personal thing for me.
You don't have to apologize--and I am fully aware of how the families have been treated, and how the city has not done the greatest job in any area regarding the tragedy.
But I really do ask you that question: what if it was people of the same religion of (many of but not all) the people that did the killing?
And to put it another way, what if your family member/friend who died had been a Muslim?
9/11 wasn't an attack by all Muslims on all Christians or all Americans. It was the act of a few extremist ass holes.
It just seems like we should be trying to bring people together after something like that, not draw dividing lines.
Another thing that's always difficult with these things is how the dead have no voice, ya know?
But I really do ask you that question: what if it was people of the same religion of (many of but not all) the people that did the killing?
And to put it another way, what if your family member/friend who died had been a Muslim?
9/11 wasn't an attack by all Muslims on all Christians or all Americans. It was the act of a few extremist ass holes.
It just seems like we should be trying to bring people together after something like that, not draw dividing lines.
Another thing that's always difficult with these things is how the dead have no voice, ya know?
If it was a coincidence that they were putting it in that general vicinity I probably wouldn't have an opinion on it, but apparently the location is intentional to "start a dialogue" or whatever, and they want it to open on Sept 11, 2011 -- both of which are dickish. I'm extremely uncomfortable ever agreeing with tea-party freaks who are almost definitely coming at it from a bigoted angle, but the idea of showing how peaceful a religion is by purposefully building something near a place where fanatics of that same religion killed a ton of people seems laughable to me. Religion is the primary way of getting people to do awful, violent things, and even though this particular religion is already under attack by intolerant nutjobs, I have no desire to reflexively support it just for the sake of fairness. Of course, the government shouldn't stop them from building it either. I basically just agree with this guy and the article he quotes from: http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/the-mosque-in-new-york/
I agree with Jerry Seinfeld, though-- when he wanted to return the jacket for spite, he still should have been able to.
But whether the people that want to build it were pure evil and admitted to doing it to be dicks (you could be a lot more dickish than this anyway), or were completely peaceful and wanted to call it the "We're against 911 Mosque," there would be Americans who are against it, just because. And that makes no sense to me because it's not like it's a war between two sides and one side launched attacks on the other and is now trying to put their flag in the other's turf. But that's what people are making it out to be. And it's religion's fault! I'm against them all...they ALL offend me but I have to live with them and they should have to live with each other.
And I don't really agree with that article. We can't say, Ya freedom of religion, but don't get TOO crazy, now... They're all crazy to me. Yes, even Quakerism.
But whether the people that want to build it were pure evil and admitted to doing it to be dicks (you could be a lot more dickish than this anyway), or were completely peaceful and wanted to call it the "We're against 911 Mosque," there would be Americans who are against it, just because. And that makes no sense to me because it's not like it's a war between two sides and one side launched attacks on the other and is now trying to put their flag in the other's turf. But that's what people are making it out to be. And it's religion's fault! I'm against them all...they ALL offend me but I have to live with them and they should have to live with each other.
And I don't really agree with that article. We can't say, Ya freedom of religion, but don't get TOO crazy, now... They're all crazy to me. Yes, even Quakerism.
You're definitely right that most of the people opposing it are painting it as an us-versus-them situation, which is retarded, and I don't have anything in common with them. Nor do I think that anything should actually be done to stop it, because freedom of religion must be absolute. But just the way it made me angry when everyone acted like that beam cross at ground zero was a sign from The Jesus, and Bush exploited 9/11 to do evil things, it pisses me off that these people are using a connection to the tragedy as a reason to talk about how great and peaceful their stupid beliefs are.
Of course, anything that makes right-wingers blow a gasket can't be too far wrong. ;)
And on the 2nd point, it is just my view that a religion is what it actually results in. I don't care what they say it is *supposed* to be like, I care how the believers actually behave. So even though in terms of their beliefs, Islam and Quakerism are equally wrong, their practices may be a different story.
Of course, anything that makes right-wingers blow a gasket can't be too far wrong. ;)
And on the 2nd point, it is just my view that a religion is what it actually results in. I don't care what they say it is *supposed* to be like, I care how the believers actually behave. So even though in terms of their beliefs, Islam and Quakerism are equally wrong, their practices may be a different story.
I guess it's also about interpretations--if more people misinterpret a certain religion and take it as "bow to this god and kill everybody else," then you could have a "problem" on your hands, but it's not really the fault of the other people who practice it and aren't crazy and maybe even acknowledge that some of the original ideals of their faith no longer relate to current society.
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