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Media attacks New York Islamic Center unfairly, immorally.
Image created by Ciera Thompson.
Written by Varun Bajaj - News Editor
For the past few months, the media and US politicians have debated over the proposal to build Park51, also known as the “Ground Zero Mosque.” With strong opposition from Republican politicians like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich the proposal has become a topic of interest in American lives.
The mosque controversy has led the political front in Election Season 2010. The topic has been discussed at nearly every debate nationwide, but there are quite a few reasons on why this debate makes no sense at all.
The so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” isn’t just a mosque. In actuality, it’s a community center with a small prayer room that will serve as a mosque. This community center will be open to all citizens of New York City. It will feature a basketball court, a theater, a fitness center, and more amenities for all to enjoy. Calling this community center a mosque is like calling Mercy Gilbert Hospital a church because there is a small chapel inside. The media simply blew this proposal out of proportion, showing America what Americans did not want to hear. The media held back the entire truth.
Park51 is not even at Ground Zero. Dubbing it “The Ground Zero Mosque” was another deceitful tactic of the media to hurt its viewers and to cause emotional outrage. The building cannot even be seen from Ground Zero, and you can’t see Ground Zero from the building. The community center will be half a mile from the memorial at Ground Zero. The people who claim that no Islamic building should be built in Manhattan should go there and look down the street. On any street in New York City, there are multiple small businesses owned by American Muslims, such as the hundreds of Halal Restaurants in lower Manhattan.
Another reason why this debate is nonsensical is simple: the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, stating Freedom of Religion. Freedom of Religion clearly says you can pray when you want, to whom you want, wherever you want, and it seems that America has forgotten that. This country is the “Land of the Free,” and Americans have begun to think that some people are more free than others. You cannot ban someone from building a place of worship. You cannot stop someone from praying to his or her God. Not only is that immoral, it is also illegal. Opposing Americans need to remember its values.
Lastly, and most importantly, Islam is not a religion of hate. It is not a religion of terrorists. It is a religion that has been misinterpreted by Americans. In 1995, a Christian man planned and executed the Oklahoma City Bombing. The Oklahoma City Bombing is the second worst act of terrorism in the United States. Today, there are five churches in a one-square block radius of where the attack took place. There is a clear double standard being set. Islam did not provoke the terrorists on 9/11, but all Muslims are being punished because of it. That is simply wrong, sinful, and hateful. Political superstar, Sarah Palin, summed up the double standard that Americans are showing when she tweeted: “We all know that they have the right to do it, but should they?”
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