They want to build a mosque near Ground Zero
August 4th 2010 03:46
VYOOS EDITORIAL
They are going to build a mosque and Islamic community centre close to Ground Zero in New York. The final obstacle to the development has just been removed with a vote by New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission to reject landmark status for an existing building on the site. The rejection, which was unanimous, will allow for demolition of the existing building and construction of the mosque and community complex.
It is a massive project - the mosque will be 13 storeys tall - and it received considerable opposition. This is perhaps not surprising. To put it in the bluntest terms, Ground Zero exists because of an attack by Islamic fanatics on New York's World Trade centre which killed thousands. Now they want to build a mosque next door?
Opponents of the $100 million project, including 9/11 first-responders and family members of victims of the terror attacks, said the location would be "insensitive". Some went further, screaming "Shame on you!" at the nine commissioners who sit on the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission as they emerged from the meeting on Monday which cleared the final obstacle.
A different response came from the New York Civil Liberties Union, which praised the committee for ``standing up for the principles of religious freedom and tolerance''.
``We congratulate the Landmarks Preservation Commission for promoting our nation's core values and not letting bias get in the way of the rule of law,'' the organisation said.
Another group, called September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, which advocates peace and opposes the war in Afghanistan, also commended the decision.
"We understand the grief suffered by all those who also lost loved ones," they said. "However, we cannot allow grief to give way to intolerance and bigotry. Murderers killed our loved ones on 9/11, not Muslims."
Well said. This is obviously a voice of reason, and they do well to resist commenting on the short-sightedness of those who opposed this plan on emotional grounds. So Vyoos will do it for them.
We say “shame” on opponents of this plan. You are the voice of unreason. Your views ultimately come from the same blinkered, self-serving intolerance which leads to acts of fanaticism.
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