A friend of mine linked to this essay on Slate about why the planned location is the perfect place for a Muslim cultural center. [link] In particular, I love this bit (emphasis mine):
First, opponents stirred up discomfort about the project by claiming that its sponsors were radicals and that any mosque near Ground Zero was inherently inappropriate. These claims, as explained above, are false. But that no longer matters. What matters is that people now feel discomfort about the project, and for that reason alone, it should be relocated. The same argument could be made against anything that upsets a local majority: same-sex marriage, Jews in restricted neighborhoods, Christians in Mecca, blacks sitting in the front of the bus. If you can't justify your discomfort, it merits no respect.
Gets back to Matt's point, and mine.
Post deleted cause Smonster said it better.
Man, I finally jumped into it on a friend's FB page. She re-posted this drivel from someone else's page:
If you think that putting up a mosque 600 ft. from ground zero and having the inauguration on the anniversary of September 11, 2001 is immoral, inhuman and a complete lack of respect for the memories of all that perished on that day THEN PLEASE COPY & PASTE THIS TO YOUR WALL!!
So I replied:
I've been reading a lot about this, and it's not a mosque; it's a community center like the YMCA that will have a culinary school, a gymnasium for sports, and a space that can be used as a prayer space. That doesn't make it a mosque.
Also, it's not being inaugurated on 9/11/11. Ground hasn't even been broken on it, and it's a 13-story building. It cannot be built that quickly.
Also, included in "all that perished that day" were 400 Muslims.
And, there is an actual mosque (strictly a house of worship) about 4 blocks from the WTC site. It was built in 1970, the same year the WTC was built, and has been holding services ever since.
I know this is an issue that has a lot of people talking, but I believe it's important to know all the facts.
(I can't actually recall the number of Muslims who died on 9/11, but I swear I read 400 yesterday. I'm hoping I'm not massively wrong and get called out on one damn data point.)
You know, I wouldn't be so upset about it if they could admit that it came from bias. Like when I think of my comments following the '04 election, I admit a great deal of them were based on learned bias against Southern Americans. So when the South went red, I freaked. It confirmed everything I'd learned. They were this, that, and the other thing too.
But now I know many Buffistas came from and still live in the South and are not "cool because they got out," or anything like that.
Once you get to know people, it's different.
(I've actually met many Muslim techies from stepdad's jobs...they were VERY serious and very polite,)
The same argument could be made against anything that upsets a local majority: same-sex marriage, Jews in restricted neighborhoods, Christians in Mecca, blacks sitting in the front of the bus. If you can't justify your discomfort, it merits no respect.
On a related note, my brother now has no respect for my dad after being given The Talk regarding his white girlfriend. The reason he needs to "get rid of it"? Because that's how society works. Whites with whites, blacks with blacks, Asians with Asians, Indians with Indians. "Mixing doesn't work." When my brother said that was just prejudice, he responded that that's just a word, it doesn't work. Also, he will shame the family. (To my surprise, my brother anticipated everything but the shame card. As if they wouldn't play the shame card.)
My brother can't figure out how to respond to these "arguments." Since...they're not arguments. Even my sister is boggled.
My brother can't figure out how to respond to these "arguments." Since...they're not arguments. Even my sister is boggled.
Well, from a logical standpoint all you have to do is provide one counter-example to "Mixing doesn't work."
Of course, it sounds like logic isn't steering his tugboat....
Well, from a logical standpoint all you have to do is provide one counter-example to "Mixing doesn't work."
There are at least two biracial kids in Dylan's preschool - I'm sure I have some pictures from birthday parties I could share...
The reason he needs to "get rid of it"?
Uh...seriously? Your father called your brother's girlfriend an "it?" Why your brother would speak one more word to him after that without being given and abject and sincere apology is beyond me. Seriously.
You know, I wouldn't be so upset about it if they could admit that it came from bias.
I'd probably still be as upset and grossed out but I often think (about these anti-Muslim and anti-gay marriage people) "Just admit you're a fucking bigot! Stop trying to justify your bigotry with made up shit!"
Heidi Klum, her hot husband and their cutie-pie kids would probably disagree with your dad.
In Heidi's case, it was the first, white, husband she was unable to mix with.
Also my friend Prior and her boyfriend Tyrone (she's from a rather ritzy part of Dallas and he's from Oak Cliff, so they have a bit of cultural/class stuff to sort out as well).
