I know, it's really mean to do this, but I thought we ought to share
this little bit of information:
Two-thirds of New York City residents want a planned Muslim community center and mosque to be relocated to a less controversial site farther away from ground zero in Lower Manhattan, including many who describe themselves as supporters of the project, according to a New York Times poll.
Oh, snap. There's more:
Nearly nine years after the Sept. 11 attacks ignited a wave of anxiety about Muslims, many in the country’s biggest and arguably most cosmopolitan city still have an uneasy relationship with Islam. One-fifth of New Yorkers acknowledged animosity toward Muslims. Thirty-three percent said that compared with other American citizens, Muslims were more sympathetic to terrorists. And nearly 60 percent said people they know had negative feelings toward Muslims because of 9/11.
And there's this:
“Freedom of religion is one of the guarantees we give in this country, so they are free to worship where they chose,” Mr. Merton said. “I just think it’s very bad manners on their part to be so insensitive as to put a mosque in that area.”
To be fair, there's also this:
While a majority said politicians in New York should take a stand on the issue, most disapprove of those outside the city weighing in: Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, among others, have tried to rally opposition to the center.
So what does all this tell us? Just a guess -- the New Yorkers who oppose construction of the mosque in its proposed location aren't really being "Islamaphobic," which would imply that they are reacting in an irrational manner. They are thinking through all the implications involved.
5 comments:
It would be "mean" of you if the entire post wasn't an elaborate justification for denying freedoms that YOU fully enjoy, from other Americans. Insisting that Muslims should be obligated to equate themselves with terrorists is NOT "thinking things out." It's just racist crap.
You know, before your post last week, I honestly thought that you, Mr. D, were above this particular "controversy," and above possibly making this argument. I'm sorry to read how wrong I was about that.
C'mon, say it. Call him a racist. It'll feel so good and you know you want to.
what race is 'muslim'?
if you take his hat off and shave him, could you tell him from anybody else?
and if you say yes, i'd like to take you to anahiem with me for lunch sometime.
Amanda,
You never disappoint.
Gino makes the relevant point here. Islam is not a race. Islam, like all religions, is a belief system. And a worldwide one. In my life have met Muslims from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Guatemala and converts who grew up in Wisconsin. I also went to high school with Iraqi Christians who were driven out of a Muslim country (Iran) in 1980, quite fortunate to escape with their lives.
The Muslims I have known all believe in the teachings of the Koran, but they are not a race. You are using race in a Godwin's Law way. And so we call bullshit on you for that.
My perspective is pretty much the same as the one that Night Writer has made previously. No one seriously disputes the idea that Muslims should be able to practice their religion freely. They have that right, just as much as I, as a Catholic, have that right.
Where this whole thing has been a problem is simple -- with rights come responsibilities. And responsible people do not provoke others needlessly. So that puts the Muslims who are pursuing this matter in a delicate situation. Do they go ahead and say "we have our rights, so we're going to do what we're going to do and there's nothing you can do about it," or do they take a step back, try to understand how their neighbors are feeling about this matter, and perhaps try to reach some sort of compromise?
Compromise, pluralism and tolerance are different things, but they work best together. I can't put myself "above" that, because I rely on the pluralism of this country to protect me and the tolerance of my fellow citizens to protect me as well. There have always been people who would rather not have me around, too. The Klan hated blacks, Jews and Catholics.
The only other point I'm making is this -- we were told over and over that this is a New York matter and therefore the views of people on the other side of the Hudson River don't matter much. Now we have a snapshot of the views of New Yorkers themselves. I wanted to see if that changed anyone's perspective on the matter. Apparently not, in your case.
Oops, typo. That was supposed to say Iranian Christians, although the Catholic and Jewish populations in Iraq have suffered plenty of persecution at different times, too.
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