Faux Controversy, Real Prejudice

What do you do when your real ingrained hatred, bigotry, and prejudices flare up in full view of the public? You hide, mask, and disguise it as “real” concerns about some issue and create a faux controversy based on semantics and hope no one notices. Hence the “controversy” over the mosque and community center in downtown Manhattan.

The truth of the matter is that these people, mostly Republicans, tea party types, and some Democrats in tough re-election campaigns (Harry Reid), have a real problem with Muslims. It ranges from straight up fear that every Muslim is going to blow up your house, to pure racism against any brown person, to the really disgusting “they aren’t Christians” bigotry, but the one constant is fear of the different, ignorance, and an unwillingness to understand any of it. These people don’t like Muslims, period. So when word gets out that there are plans for a mosque and community center in downtown Manhattan near ground zero (fact: every inch of downtown Manhattan is near ground zero) it’s time to freak out and attack. But there is a problem, as any good “strict constructionist” wrapped in the founding documents Republican knows, there is that little problem with the first amendment that they really don’t like but really can’t talk about. Well of course they all really know what the founding fathers meant when they wrote “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”, they meant Christians. But I digress. Since they can’t attack the mosque directly, their only other option is to create a controversy on the semantics. You see, they aren’t against the mosque existing per se, they are just against its location. Yes, that’s it, it’s just too close to ground zero. Never mind the fact that 90% of the people against the mosque can’t even find Park Place on a map of Manhattan (and no, Park Place is not the same as Park Avenue). Which immediately begs the question, well how far from ground zero is far enough? For which they have no answer they can vocalize because their honest answer is that it shouldn’t exist at all.

The fact that this community has been worshiping in the same busted up building they want to replace for years with no one noticing is of no relevance to the bigots. The fact that the local community board voted 1 vote shy of unanimous approval of the project is of no relevance. The fact that it has wide support across Manhattan, among religious leaders and the political leaders is of no relevance. The only thing that matters to them is that Muslims want to build a new community center in the vicinity of the site where a group a fanatical Muslims and their hatred (there’s that word again) for America murdered thousands of people in a terrorist attack.

The point that is lost on the intolerant ignorant people is that despite what anyone or anything throws at us, America is strong enough to stand by its principles, stand up for what is right, and the greatest response we can ever have to the militant Muslim groups is that no matter what you do to us, we do not compromise our freedoms.

So to the unelected Sister Sarah, Newt, and Rush, shut up, this is none of your business, this is what is called a local issue. To Peter King and his fellow Republicans, you took an oath to protect the constitution, this is not a cafeteria, you cannot choose to protect the 2nd with your assault rifles and ignore the first based on some fanatical and bizarre theory that America is a “christian nation”. To the families of the victims, do not fall into the cycle of hatred that led to the death of your loved ones. To the general public, grow up. The differences between us are what make us unique and special. If you believe in the so called “American Exceptionalism”, America is exceptional because of our aversion to intolerance, acceptance of the different, and the celebration of our uniqueness.