'Ground Zero mosque'? The reality is less provocative

[mamadelbosque]

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...mosque&h=cd3dd

When I heard about it – in passing, in a soundbite – I figured it was a US example of the sort of inanely confrontational fantasy scheme Anjem Choudary might issue a press release about if he fancied winding up the tabloids for the 900th time this year. I was wrong. The "Ground Zero mosque" is a genuine proposal, but it's slightly less provocative than its critics' nickname makes it sound. For one thing, it's not at Ground Zero. Also, it isn't a mosque.

Wait, it gets duller. It's not being built by extremists either. Cordoba House, as it's known, is a proposed Islamic cultural centre, which, in addition to a prayer room, will include a basketball court, restaurant, and swimming pool. Its aim is to improve inter-faith relations. It'll probably also have comfy chairs and people who smile at you when you walk in, the monsters.

To get to the Cordoba Centre from Ground Zero, you'd have to walk in the opposite direction for two blocks, before turning a corner and walking a bit more. The journey should take roughly two minutes, or possibly slightly longer if you're heading an angry mob who can't hear your directions over the sound of their own enraged bellowing.

Perhaps spatial reality functions differently on the other side of the Atlantic, but here in London, something that is "two minutes' walk and round a corner" from something else isn't actually "in" the same place at all. I once had a poo in a pub about two minutes' walk from Buckingham Palace. I was not subsequently arrested and charged with crapping directly onto the Queen's pillow. That's how "distance" works in Britain. It's also how distance works in America, of course, but some people are currently pretending it doesn't, for daft political ends.

Just had to share. Its wonderful. Its true. Its exactly how I freaking feel. I mean, really. Exactly. YAY! for Charlie Brooker!!!

[Arduinna]

We are so lucky to have the luxury of looking in from the outside, across the ocean even. As someone that doesn't live in NY now, and didn't live there in 2001 I would never presume to tell those that do and did how they should feel.

Similarly, I was appalled at those that said that New Orleans shouldn't be rebuilt after Katrina. ( I did not live in LA at that time).

[carriebft]

I think no matter where you look from, the hatred and terrible treatment of the innocent is quite obvious. It's one thing to try and control radical Islam and to create a line between what is peaceful and what is radical Islam...but the line is gone when you tell peacefull, innocent people that they cannot worship in a certain place or that private, peaceful citizens cannot build in a certain place because of their religion. And I live 2 hours from NYC and have family in the city who watched the whole thing play out. Thankfully, they can still easily see the injustice in telling people of the Muslim faith "to back off a few miles."

What if there were no places of worship, for any religion, near a site where violence occurred in the name of that religion, even if those creating the violence were radicals or 'outside the norm'? How many places in this country would just be 100% off limits? How many in Europe?

If they can't see it on a human rights or constitutional level...maybe looking at it that way will help reason get through hatred, fear and revenge lust?

[mamadelbosque]

Someone on another board I'm on pointed out, if we don't let muslims build anywhere near ground zero, perhaps we should disallow any catholic churches anywhere near schools, preschools, parks, or anywhere else children congregate. It'd only be fair.

Do we really want to go down this road??? Really??

[MrsMike]

No one protested when they built a Starbucks a block from Ground Zero...

It's not just New York, either. Right now that's in the spotlight, but it's taking the spotlight from those protesting the building of a Mosque in Tennessee. It's getting pretty scary out there...