![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
"Sanctified" by bigotry
Aug. 16th, 2010 11:17 pmI've had it up to here with everyone going on and on about the "Ground Zero Mosque". I'm not going to mince words here- It's simple bigotry wrapped up in the American flag.
Should the site where the Twin Towers once stood be considered 'Hallowed Ground'? Absolutely. It was a horrible thing - people lost their lives and our nation lost its innocence. Putting a memorial on the actual site itself is very appropriate.
However, using the grief of families and survivors to further the cause of discrimination, bigotry and hatred? No Fucking Way. It makes me ill just thinking about it.
The community center planned for the site of an old clothing factory is a few blocks from Ground Zero. So are a lot of other things - including strip clubs, peep shows, fast food restaurants, and an off-track betting facility. Not to mention that calling the proposed community center a 'mosque' is kind of like calling a YMCA a "church'.
Our consitution supports the right of every American to exercise their faith in their own ways. That includes building facilities and houses of worship. If someone wanted to build a place of worship on my block, my only concerns would be things like "is there going to be enough parking?" or "please tell me they don't have a loud bell tower!". What they do in their facility is their own business, much like my right to do whatever I want in my own home as long as it's not loud enough to frighten the neighbors.
Too many people in the US, mostly led on by extremist media figures who care more about their ratings than the facts, still equate the words "Muslim" and "Terrorist". The only way this is ever going to change is one by one people getting to know their neighbors who happen to be Muslim. And that is never going to happen if this kind of crap keeps going on!
Quite a few polls show that the issue of gay marriage is a generational one. Older people who are products of their upbringing are more likely to be opposed to the idea, whereas younger people often see it as a non-issue and wonder what all the fuss is about. I think this is because younger people have come of age in the post-Stonewall era and have been more exposed to GLBT people so they see them as people first, and GLBTs second.
The same thing needs to happen before any identifiable group can be accepted, and I think that's a shame. While I do not have any close friends who are Muslim, I live in a very diverse neighborhood and have a wide variety of online acquaintances. I didn't know, for example, that the Ramadan fast even includes drinking water - until Nadia wrote about how hard it was when it was in the 90s. That's some serious dedication to your faith right there!
I grew up in a very small town with a pretty homogenous population, so I sometimes unknowingly say things that can offend people of other backgrounds. But the only way I'm going to learn how not to do that is to be around people who not only do things differently but who are willing to talk about them and politely correct me when I say something stupid. I chose to buy a home in the most diverse neighborhood of Chicago because I honestly think it would be really boring if we were all the same.
Until people calm down and let people just be people even if you think they are weird, then we can't truly claim that 'All men are created equal'. Having a large and active Muslim community center in midtown Manhatten would be a great step towards greater understanding. It brings shame on all of us that this is even deemed worthy of discussion.
Should the site where the Twin Towers once stood be considered 'Hallowed Ground'? Absolutely. It was a horrible thing - people lost their lives and our nation lost its innocence. Putting a memorial on the actual site itself is very appropriate.
However, using the grief of families and survivors to further the cause of discrimination, bigotry and hatred? No Fucking Way. It makes me ill just thinking about it.
The community center planned for the site of an old clothing factory is a few blocks from Ground Zero. So are a lot of other things - including strip clubs, peep shows, fast food restaurants, and an off-track betting facility. Not to mention that calling the proposed community center a 'mosque' is kind of like calling a YMCA a "church'.
Our consitution supports the right of every American to exercise their faith in their own ways. That includes building facilities and houses of worship. If someone wanted to build a place of worship on my block, my only concerns would be things like "is there going to be enough parking?" or "please tell me they don't have a loud bell tower!". What they do in their facility is their own business, much like my right to do whatever I want in my own home as long as it's not loud enough to frighten the neighbors.
Too many people in the US, mostly led on by extremist media figures who care more about their ratings than the facts, still equate the words "Muslim" and "Terrorist". The only way this is ever going to change is one by one people getting to know their neighbors who happen to be Muslim. And that is never going to happen if this kind of crap keeps going on!
Quite a few polls show that the issue of gay marriage is a generational one. Older people who are products of their upbringing are more likely to be opposed to the idea, whereas younger people often see it as a non-issue and wonder what all the fuss is about. I think this is because younger people have come of age in the post-Stonewall era and have been more exposed to GLBT people so they see them as people first, and GLBTs second.
The same thing needs to happen before any identifiable group can be accepted, and I think that's a shame. While I do not have any close friends who are Muslim, I live in a very diverse neighborhood and have a wide variety of online acquaintances. I didn't know, for example, that the Ramadan fast even includes drinking water - until Nadia wrote about how hard it was when it was in the 90s. That's some serious dedication to your faith right there!
I grew up in a very small town with a pretty homogenous population, so I sometimes unknowingly say things that can offend people of other backgrounds. But the only way I'm going to learn how not to do that is to be around people who not only do things differently but who are willing to talk about them and politely correct me when I say something stupid. I chose to buy a home in the most diverse neighborhood of Chicago because I honestly think it would be really boring if we were all the same.
Until people calm down and let people just be people even if you think they are weird, then we can't truly claim that 'All men are created equal'. Having a large and active Muslim community center in midtown Manhatten would be a great step towards greater understanding. It brings shame on all of us that this is even deemed worthy of discussion.
