Following on from Andrei's post about the story of the mosque being erected near the site of the 9/11 attacks, comes the story today that President Obama has backed the idea.
Just a point that I noticed in that story and have made bold is that the White House celebrates Ramadan? I am wondering if they celebrate any Christian feast days (apart from the commercialized Christmas and Easter).
Yes, I agree with Obama that Muslims have a right to practice their religion, sure, but I think it is very foolish to make such a gesture on that particular spot. The perpetrators of 9/11 were making a statement when they crashed those planes into the WTC. They were Muslim extremists who think of America as the "Great Satan".
Whether Obama thinks so or not, the building of a mosque on that particular spot sends a message that Islam will not fail to find significance in. It would be tantamount to the Americans building a Japanese temple/shrine where the attack on Pearl Harbour took place. Mr Roosevelt wouldn't have been so unthinking; Mr Obama, there is a difference between "freedom" and stupidity.
"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York and the nation.
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."
The president made his remarks at an Iftar dinner at the White House celebrating the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Just a point that I noticed in that story and have made bold is that the White House celebrates Ramadan? I am wondering if they celebrate any Christian feast days (apart from the commercialized Christmas and Easter).
Yes, I agree with Obama that Muslims have a right to practice their religion, sure, but I think it is very foolish to make such a gesture on that particular spot. The perpetrators of 9/11 were making a statement when they crashed those planes into the WTC. They were Muslim extremists who think of America as the "Great Satan".
Whether Obama thinks so or not, the building of a mosque on that particular spot sends a message that Islam will not fail to find significance in. It would be tantamount to the Americans building a Japanese temple/shrine where the attack on Pearl Harbour took place. Mr Roosevelt wouldn't have been so unthinking; Mr Obama, there is a difference between "freedom" and stupidity.