Mosque at 51 Park Place, NY, NY

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by classicman

How are they being penalized? From what I have been told those who lost loved ones simply don't want it so close to the WTC. When asked how far away was far enough - no concrete answer. You can't really draw a line in the sand on something like this.

My point exactly. It's segregation. Catholic terrorists can shake the President's hand (McGuiness/ Clinton). Law abiding Muslims can't worship except where we tell them to. Sitting at the back of the bus is not equality.

Originally Posted by whosonfirst

In fact, where are all these 'moderate' Islamic leaders-even here in the US? Are there any?...
Doesn't matter if even 99% of Muslims were not terrorism supporters. It is the ones that are who control the schools, learning centers, mosques, and are the only ones we hear from...

Blame your press if they are the only ones you hear from.
Have you heard from the mosque Seema's family attend? It's in Houston somewhere. She was my work colleague and I know she was appalled that someone used her religion as an excuse to kill people.

Did you hear from Father Frank and Father Harris during the atrocities? I doubt it. They didn't support the IRA and their sermons were to a small Buckinghamshire community. Did you hear from Sister Una, who grew up and taught in Belfast, where the children would walk to school via routes lined with bombsites? No. But she was my headmistress. You might have heard from the Reverend Ian Paisley though. I know we did. Why? Spewing hate is far more newsworthy than preaching on the nuances of The Sermon on the Mount or why Jesus really blasted the fig tree, or what St Paul really meant.

(Disclaimer - Paisley is a Protestant and therefore on the other side of the divide, but he preached hate as much as any un-named Catholic priest supporting the glory of the Republic from the pulpit).

If 99% of Muslims are peaceful and you have freedom of speech and the right to assemble and the right to worship enshrined in law (and I admire you for it) then I fail to see how it can be American to deny it. American does not equal Christian. American equals a commitment to these ideals. Ideals which some Muslims probably hold more dear than some Christians at this point.

I'm sorry that Muslims bombed the World Trade Centre. Many people lost their lives, or their relatives, their livelihood, sense of peace, their property etc etc. When? Where? In attacks in the British Isles by Protestants and Catholics during The Troubles. Don't blame religion for genocidal tendencies. Blame people.