Should The "Ground Zero" Mosque Be Allowed?

I usually don't get too involved with politics, but religion I find extremely interesting and my years as a paralegal student peaked my interest in law. The case to build or not to build a Mosque at Ground Zero is an interesting mix incorporating all of these elements. Since a friend of mine, Olu Teague brought up the topic, I've decided to blog my opinion on the subject.

Personal beliefs and feelings aside, the short answer is yes, the mosque should be permitted to be built. Unless there are issues with zoning or building codes and if there are no other financial or legal restraints, the Mosque should be permitted to be built wherever they want. If lawmakers intended for Ground Zero to be off limits to certain groups interested in the real estate there then they should have taken action early on. The site could have been declared "holy ground" or a national landmark or perhaps some other legal term that would limit the sale and purchase of real estate on the site. Then, the lawmakers and the victims families could possibly decide what can be built there. Without the legal rights to do so we cannot prevent anyone from purchasing a lot and building property on it. And certainly, we cannot in good conscience profess to be Americans and deny someone real estate based on religion.

Unfortunately, when the evil actions of "a few" are done in the name of a particular religion, as with the Crusaders, the religion becomes associated with the evil actions of the few. Few people talk about the tremendous acts of charity by the Catholic church, but mention a Catholic priest and many people think about the sexual abuse committed by a small minority of Catholic priests.

The building of the mosque at ground zero may not be the most sensitive decision that can be made in terms of honoring the WTC victims and their families. But the American ideal of freedom of religion requires us to respect the Moslems right to build it there. If it was a Baptist church would there be so much controversy?

On the other hand, Islamic religious leaders who fail to denounce and disassociate themselves from terrorist Islamic extremists and their ideologies are in part to blame for the paranoia. Horror stories like 19-year-old Bibi Aisha, whose nose and ears were cut off by Islamic extremists only add to the hysteria. (Copy the link and read the following article for the full story):

http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/18/shaming-her-in-laws-costs-19-year-old-her-nose-ears/

The U.S. has an open door policy but we have to draw the line and throw people out when they support or promote militant extremism, and acts of cruelty such as in the case of Bibi Aisha, regardless of what their religion is. Anyone whose ideology is totally contrary to the American ideals as expressed in the Bill of Rights should not be permitted to live here. If we had enforced this principle effectively there would be no tolerance for the Ku Klux Klan or any other "hate-based" ideology. Freedom of speech or not - some folks just need to get the heck out of the United States.