Mosque Or No Mosque?

At the beginning of this year, in a discussion about politics, my friend brought up the news about a plan to build a mosque in lower Manhattan, very close to Ground Zero.

At first I thought he was exaggerating and using this fabricated story to prove his point. But to my surprise he wasn’t.

I was surprised by the news and it didn’t made sense to me. Why build a religious sanctuary for people who practice the same religion of the terrorists who killed about 3,000 Americans? Why two blocks away from Ground Zero? Who is behind this and what’s his/her agenda?

I’m sure this is what many Americans are also wondering.

After some research, I found the answer to my own questions.

What they are proposing to build is not only a mosque; it’s an Islamic community center. The center will have a swimming pool, an art center, a basketball court and yes, a mosque.

The project is going to cost an estimated of $100 million. The proposed site is 13-story building that used to be a Burlington Coat Factory before it was ironically damaged during 9/11.

Feisal Abdul Rauf, a.k.a. Imam Rauf is the person behind the project. He is an Egyptian-American author and activist who claims to want to improve relations between the West and the Muslim world.

My Opinion:

No, they shouldn’t build the mosque in that location. I wouldn’t oppose to the project if it was somewhere else, in fact, I would favor the project because it exercises freedom of religion, one of our most treasured rights.

But I’m not the only one that shares his opinion. According to a CNN poll, 68% of Americans are against plans of building the mosque, only 29% are in favor. In New York City, the percentage of people against the mosque goes down to 53%.

Something else I find interesting is that when someone refers to this project as a mosque, you immediate associate the word with terrorists who killed close to 3,000 Americans. On the other hand, when you think of “community center,” you think of a place in your neighborhood where people meet and seek some sort of assistance.

But my main concern is from where is Rauf going to find the funds for this project? So far he hasn’t given the media a definite answer and has repeatedly denied access to financial statements.