Really? There's no other place?

I am fairly tolerant person. I don't hate people. I don't think that just because you believe in something different than I do that you shouldn't be allowed to believe in it, but this is just wrong. I just can't believe that there's no where else to build this.

If you're like me, and you've been watching the news lately, you've seen this story about a muslim mosque that people want to build near Ground Zero in New York. Now, this isn't a tirade about Islam, I don't want this message to be misconstrued that I am attacking Muslims... I am not... I just find it hard to believe that there is no other place to build this mosque than to put it just a stones throw away from The Trade Center.

Really? There's no other place? I find that hard to believe. It's almost as if someone out there just wants to create a story and create tension. You want to build a mosque, who the heck am I to stop you. Religious freedom is a protected right in this country. What I find a little insulting is that this seems to be the only place in New York where a mosque could be built.

I didn't lose a loved one in 9/11, but I can't possible imagine that this is going over well with the ones that did. I don't lump all Muslims with terrorism. I don't think that every Muslim is part of a jihad intent on ruining America. I don't believe all Muslims are evil. I do however think that this is in poor taste and is just asking for violence to be done to it when you talk about building a place that has this kind of stigma attached to it.

People are not all like minded... they see someone that belongs to a certain ethnicity or religious code, they think you all are the same person. This isn't right, it's not fair. I am not saying you shouldn't build a place where you go to worship how you see fit, I just think that this is such a touchy subject with people, it's just asking for trouble.

It's been almost ten years, and to me this feels like we are trying to rehash something that has taken us a long time to get over. And we are nowhere close to getting over this, I'm just saying, things have improved, and I would like to see them stay that way. I would love to live in a world where intolerance is a thing of the past and that this is going to have no problems attached to it, but I live in reality and in this reality people aren't going to see the positive of an Islamic Mosque so close to where a group of people claiming to be following religion perpetrated the grossest moment in American history.

I just don't believe that this is the only place where you can build this place of worship and devotion. It's not going to go well. And we, Americans are going to be made to look ignorant and foolish and destroy all the good work we have done since 9/11 to rebuild and move forward. Just please, think about this. Think about what it's going to do to the people who live there, who will worship there, and the city that is still finding normalcy.

Intolerance is an ugly vice that must be squashed, I just don't believe we are ready to squash it yet.

Until next time
P