Why is the mayor of New York City allowing a mosque to be built near Ground Zero?

Answer 1

It's not the mayor's decision, first of all. The mayor can use his influence to get support for his side, but it is not up to him to decide what buildings should be constructed and where. That is up to the New York City Department of Buildings, which grants permits allowing structures to be built, altered or demolished.

Second of all, the building -- which is called the Park51 project -- is not a mosque. It is an Islamic community center with a non-denominational prayer space.

As to the heart of the actual question: the center will be built because there is no good reason for it not to be built. Anti-Muslim bigotry is not a good reason to prevent its construction. After all, in the words of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, "Islam did not attack the World Trade Center. Al Qaeda did."

If some people oppose its construction because they associate all Muslims with terrorism, and therefore they do not wish to see Muslims near Ground Zero, then that's their problem. They have no right to make it everyone else's problem.

The idea that it "just seems insensitive somehow" is purely an emotional argument with no basis in reason. Islamic terrorists are a tiny group of radical extremists, and they are in no way representative of the entire Muslim population. Most Muslims are not terrorists and have nothing to do with terrorism.

Associating all Muslims with terrorism may be an unfortunate but natural inclination to some. For example, you might get a little nervous seeing a Muslim guy wearing a turban and robes on the same airplane with you. But you have to recognize that your fear is irrational and prejudicial. You might not be able to help having racist thoughts sometimes, but that doesn't mean it's okay to have them. And it certainly doesn't mean that everyone else should accommodate your racism.

To oppose the Park51 project is to demand that everyone else accommodate your prejudice against Muslims. Even though it's illogical to associate all Muslims with terrorism because a tiny minority of them attacked the U.S., you demand that they be denied the right to build a community center where they see fit. Muslims have the right to build mosques where they please, just like how they have the right to fly whenever they please. You can't prohibit them from building it, any more than you can kick a Muslim guy in a turban off a plane because he makes you nervous.

This opposition is especially ridiculous in a place like Manhattan, which, with a population density of 71,000 people per square mile, is one of the most densely populated areas on earth. Everything in Manhattan is already close to everything else. There is no point in Lower Manhattan that is more than 2 miles away from any other point. It is jam-packed with people and buildings, and there are already several mosques near Ground Zero, so to oppose the construction of another one -- one which isn't even a mosque -- defies common sense.

Even if it were a mosque, and not just a community center with a prayer space, there would be no good reason to prevent its construction. The United States is a country that unconditionally guarantees the freedom of religion, so to prohibit the construction of any house of worship -- regardless of the reason -- would be a clear violation of this constitutional protection.

The September 11 attacks happened because of long-standing animosity between the United States and Muslims in the Middle East. Prohibiting the construction of the Park51 project only reinforces the rift between Muslims and Americans. It sends the message that Americans categorically mistrust Muslims and do not want them in our country. And like the war in Iraq, it is exemplary of the "9-11 justifies everything" attitude, which is only getting the U.S. into further trouble, not just in the Middle East, but around the world.

We cannot resolve our differences and learn to live in peace with each other, unless we open up the lines of communication and learn more about each other. Bigotry and hatred are born of ignorance. We hate people who are different than us because we don't know and understand them. The only way to end the bigotry and hatred is to get to know each other.

So, the September 11 attacks are a good reason to support the construction of an Islamic center near Ground Zero, not to oppose it.