Now, that being said, I don't understand my fellow Americans! People are all up in arms about the "Mosque at Ground Zero" and I think that's just sad. Lets put aside the fact that it isn't a mosque, but an Islamic Community Center. Let's also ignore the fact that it's not AT ground zero, but two blocks away.
Instead let's focus on the thing that allows it to be built in the first place.
The Constitution of the United States of America.
The only doctrine I love more than the Constitution, is the Bible. This wonderful collection of amendments gives us the fundamental rights that make us American. There is one amendment that I hold most dear.
That's right! The first amendment, número uno! It reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
That means the "Mosque at Ground Zero" has a right to be there! Saying it shouldn't be built is the same as saying the Constitution needs to be thrown out. As I said it's not just a mosque but also an Islamic community center, where people of all religions are free to congregate. It's also two blocks away from where Ground Zero actually is.
It really depresses me that people claim it doesn't need to be there because it's Islamic and "Muslims caused 9/11".
While it is true that radical extremist saying they are acting in the ways of Islam, took down the towers; it is also true that not all Muslims are terrorists! Read this "Memo to the American Muslim" at http://www.islamfortoday.com/khan01.htm and you'll see what I mean. (btw: Thank you to my friend Dev for pointing that site out to me!)
As Americans, the Constitution is our greatest ally and achievement. It promises us many freedoms including the right to worship as we please and the right to speak as we want. (Otherwise I couldn't be writing this now!) That is also why I so strongly defend it! I don't consider myself a republican or a democrat. I've taken to calling myself a "Constitutionalist" because I believe if we actually ran the country by the Constitution, things would be so much better!
So many Americans are hung up on the fact that terrorist are claiming to be Muslims, that they are attacking the rights and freedoms of American Muslims who are just as hurt by 9/11 as your average Christian American. The war on terror is not a war between Christian and Muslims, or even Americans and Muslims. It is between Americans and terrorists. Saying all Muslims are like the terrorists is like saying all Christians are like those horrible Westboro Baptist Church members! (If you've been living under a rock, here's a picture of the WBC members.)
As a Christian, I am APPALLED by their actions. God called us to love thy neighbor, not hurl insults and torture grieving families. God told us "Judge not lest ye be judged." I guess they skipped that part.
They say the first amendment gives them the right to protest soldier's funerals. They give Christianity a bad name. While the first amendment does give Americans the right to protest, it says "peaceably to assemble". Picketing a funeral is not a peaceful assembly. It is tacky and in poor taste.
Furthermore, WBC members hate America. The average Muslim American does not hate America, but yet, the average uneducated American thinks WBC members deserve American rights more than these Muslim Americans. Granted, WBC deserves the right to worship as they please, they just don't deserve the right to torment families that have lost a son or daughter to war.
If we as Americans believed in our Constitution the way we should, we wouldn't be trying to stop an Islamic Community Center. The American military doesn't reject people on basis of race or religion, so why should the American people?
American soldiers can be:
Men
Women
Black
Latino
White
Or even non Christian
These brave men and women are part of the fabric that makes America great! They come from different backgrounds, yet they are all the same. They are Americans.
Next time, you or someone around you spouts something anti Muslim or racist, just think, "What would our fore fathers think?"
- Whether you love me or hate me, you know who I am.
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