I'm running late to this conversation, but I was away for some time.
I have thoughts on the matter, so I'm unearthing this to do so rather than starting a new thread on the same subject matter.
There is no legal precedent to not permit the community center at 51 Park Place, New York.
That really should be the beginning and end of the entire conversation.
However, it's not, and people go on and on into rambles of debates that, ultimately, don't make a damn bit of difference in regards to the legal precedent of the site.
So, allow me to share my variation of response about the logic of being against the community center, and against Islam in general.
Again, keep in mind; none of this actually makes a ding one way or another in the rights of the community center being built because their is no precedent for removing their right to build in the permitted building location.
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Firstly; location.
You can't even see the damn thing from the memorial.
Further, you can't even see it well at all from the main road leading to the memorial.
In fact, you'd have to deviate from your path on your way to the memorial and go half way down a side street so that you could look at it in offense and anger.
Secondly, identity.
It's not a mosque properly.
There won't be minarets, or muezzin calls to prayer echoing into Park Place; let alone into the Ground Zero memorial.
It's a community center for multi-purpose use; that also has a prayer space.
If it was a mosque; it would have to meet quite a different arrangement of requirements that it does not.
For one; it's design: it lacks a minbar (pulpit), it lacks everything save for the requirements for a
very stripped down Musalla (or mini-mosque) that can only be used for daily prayer and not functional for Friday worship.
I don't even believe I've seen any mention of a mihrab; a specific type of prayer niche; different than the Musalla.
Nor will it have crecent emblems or the like apparently.
In fact, what's been said is that it is being fashioned in similar manner to the community center on 92nd Street Y.
Which, that center looks like this:
Therefore, it's really not a mosque properly outside of saying, "Yes; Islamic adherents can pray there."
And for two; it's placement would be terrible for a mosque, as it's
physically impossible for this community center to face Mecca, which is the standard design for Mosques.
In fact, it'll face South West of all angles.
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Aright; there's the points on location and physicality of the debate.
Now, let's take into account the debates on Islam in general.
Many people write or say lovely assertions such as:
"Islam is only capable of violence and Muslims act like animals"
"Islam is a religion of hate and killing"
"Islam is anti-American"
"Islam condones stoning people to death"
"Islam is a religion of radicals"
"I will be killed for drawing a scandalous image of Mohammad by American Islams"
"It's offensive and disrespectful to the families of 9/11 victims to build the mosque at Ground Zero"
"The Quran is the most violent holy text; calling for the death of infidels and nonbelievers. We shouldn't allow it in America. "
And many, many more I have personally been told by people all over the United States.
Here's my kind of responses to these volleys of assertions and logic.
1st.
There are 1.5 Billion Islams in the world.
Most of which are in Asia, and the nation leading the single population of Islams being in Indonesia.
The Middle East Islamic States make up around 250 million people.
At best then, the Middle Eastern Islams make up only 16% of the entire worlds population of Islam.
Of that 250 million, a very small amount are involved in the violence in the region.
About 130,000 insurgents exist in the Iraq area.
About 7.3 million men of age are of the Sunni Muslim faith favorited by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
So even if we allow all 7.3 million men of Sunni faith in Afghanistan to be counted as combatants involved in violence; which is not true; we would have a total count of roughly 7.4 million Islamic following adherents that promote violence; again, falsely asserting that
all Afghan Sunni's are violent for the sake of the argument.
This means that the affecting group is less than 0.5% of the world's Islamic population...at
best.
Realistically, it's probably about half or a third of that.
2nd.
1.5 Million Americans (the most conservative estimate) are Islamic.
In the American Military, Islam takes up 1% of the religious preferences; the same as either Jewish or Buddhist faiths each.
3rd.
Not one single stoning has been conducted in America by American Islams.
4th.
American Islams markedly spoke out against the 9/11 Terrorist actions and condemned the violent interpretations of the Quran.
5th.
The Quran isn't the only text that has charges to kill. So does the Bible:
"A curse on him who is lax in doing the LORD's work! A curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed!" - Jeremiah 48:10
6th.
It's not religion that dictates civil rights, and stances on violence or law; it's the society that dictates this. Religions are forced by the society to act within the social acceptance of law. Thereby; American Islams are markedly moderate by comparison to the Middle Eastern more extremist capacity due to the regional instability of law.
7th.
1% (32) of those that died on 9/11's multiple attacks were Islamic.
[*]8th.
Imam Rauf is an ambassador for America to Middle Eastern States regarding the acceptance of Islam in America and the support of Islamic ideals in the United States constitution.
9th.
I will not be killed by an American Islam for writing the following:
"Mohammad is a fat cow."
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Those are my primary points.
I'll let that rest there for now.
