It's infuriating, but probably not too surprising, how many conservatives don't understand the First Amendment. Regardless of how you feel about the Park51 community center, you cannot mount a legal challenge to it. This should be obvious to anyone who has even a passing familiarity with what it's (supposed to be) like to live in America.
What is equally infuriating, but far more surprising, is how many liberals and atheists/skeptics, while at least understanding the constitutional aspects of this case, have expressed disapproval with the community center. They say they recognize the right of the builders to go ahead with the project, but they say it's a bad idea, it's "in bad taste", it's "insensitive" to the victims of 9/11.
If you are one of those people, you have probably been bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of a towering minaret, its spire casting an ominous shadow over the ashes of the World Trade Center, you have been bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of a more modest building, but still with a Middle Eastern architectural style that some might find provocative as it stands across the street from the site of the 9/11 tragedy, you have been bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of this modest Middle Eastern-style building, it's spire just barely visible between two skyscrapers as one stands at the sight of Ground Zero, you have been bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of a completely Western very modern inviting building, a corner of it just barely poking over the top of another nearby building, you have been bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of this nice modern building, completely invisible from the World Trade Center site and not anywhere you are likely to pass going to and from Ground Zero, housing a fire-and-brimstone style Muslim-equivalent-of-American-Evangelicals congregation, you have been bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of this nice modern building, far removed from Ground Zero, whose primary purpose is to allow a congregation of a few hundred very progressive New York Muslims to peacefully come together for their weekly worship, guess what, you have still been bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of a nice modern building, far removed from Ground Zero, whose primary purpose is to provide Muslim families with wholesome activities they can do right in downtown Manhattan, such as basketball, swimming, i.e. all the things you'd expect to find at your local YMCA, you are still being bamboozled.
If your mental picture is of a nice modern building, far removed from Ground Zero, whose primary purpose is to provide all New Yorkers with wholesome activities like basketball, swimming, etc., just like the way your local YMCA is open to the public and, though it might have a small chapel, has barely anything to do with Christianity whatsoever... ding ding ding, you've got it right!
And if you are still opposed to that, and you call yourself a liberal, or you call yourself a secularist? I don't know what to say...
The proof is in the damnable pudding
24 minutes ago
Nice post. It would have more force if you were to link to the description documenting its intended uses and lack of restrictions and modest religious facilities.
ReplyDeleteAs for the location, Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight did a good walking tour, so you could link there for that. http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/08/street-level-view-of-ground-zero-mosque.html
You're right that would add more force to the post -- but I think I'm too lazy to do so exhaustively :)
ReplyDeleteThe facilities are described right on the Park51 website. Oh wait, but that's an Islamist conspiracy...
The fucked up thing is that I'm an outspoken critic of Islam myself. I think there are aspects of Islamic theology that make it particularly dangerous, even when compared with some of the other world religions, in that it runs a very high risk of mutating into extremism. (It should be noted that I think Christianity has many of the same traits, just to make it clear that I'm not singling out the Scary Brown People).
And despite all that, I still can't fathom the secular/liberal opposition to this community center. In fact, given my concerns about the volatility of Islam combined with the fact that the billion-plus Muslims on this planet are not going to convert overnight, it seems like initiatives like this -- which let's face it, are de-emphasizing the theology aspect in favor of the community aspect -- are exactly what we need!
Well said. Perhaps a bit long for the payoff. I agree that it's baffling how anyone that considers them either secular or liberal could possibly oppose the community center. Framing at work, I guess.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't understand it either. I have a general opposition to the building of religious buildings of all creeds, and this doesn't rise above the background level of opposition. And of course, it is a personal opposition, not the legal kind.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I too am baffled at the opposition to this community center by the liberal and secular set, as well as the general misinformation that is going around. I guess it's a lot more comfortable for people to believe it's some vast conspiracy, and it's a juicy bone for politicians to gnaw on.
ReplyDeleteLoved the post. But I'm not in the least baffled.
ReplyDeleteFor anybody who went through the emotional wringer - watching 9-11 unfold, it's tough to be the one to stand up and say it's fine to build a mosque/community center thingee and not feel just a bit like some kind of traitorous swamp scum. Especially when the mainstream and internet media sound machine is thrumming with so much noise about it.
We secularists and liberals get comfortable preaching to our own choir, but standing strong in the public square can be daunting to say the least.
'Framing' is right. This kind of reticence to call things what they are is what results when we let the 'right' frame the issue in the shadows of their own fearful zenophobia.
uh, I meant to type 'xenophobia'. Damn.
ReplyDelete