Whether or not a mosque should be built so close to Ground Zero (Site of 9/11)

Thanks, Con. I feel compelled to take this debate considering I am from New York City (born and raised) and I was indeed in NYC on 9/11 while both my parents worked downtown close to the towers on that day. Additionally, my father was part of the clean-up project that went on for months following, so I do have some connection to this incident directly (I also lost 3 close family friends and was babysitting the daughter of one who died in the towers on that day when it happened). So, when Con begins by saying "Muslims should show respect for the people of New York," it should be known that not all people of New York feel the way Con does; in fact some families who have lost people on 9/11 have even spoken out in support of the mosque. So let's get on to the debate. First, some "people of New York" are Muslims, and many Muslims also lost friends and family on 9/11. Should we discount Muslims from the conversation as if their opinion does not matter, or pretend that Muslims have not been negatively affected by the events on 9/11? In addition to various instances of personal loss, there has also been a huge amount of Islamophobia and unnecessary subjugation against Muslims worldwide since the attacks. Allowing them to build a place of worship is not a bad thing. Second, how is building a mosque at Ground Zero not showing respect for the people of New York? At best, Con can argue that many families have lost people in that area... but that is no different from people who have died (from terrorism, war, or other grave acts of destruction) in innumerable other locations -- yet those locations are not sanctioned off to prohibit certain groups from building on that property. Furthermore, how is not building a mosque "showing respect?" Muslims in general had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. Instead, it was TERRORISTS (who happened to be Muslim) which caused the destruction. Those people should be punished, but Muslims as a whole should not be punished. That's like punishing all white people today for what white people in the past have done regarding slavery. Just because people share skin color or creed does not make them equally responsible for the acts of all people who have something in common with them. In terms of legal rights, Muslims have the constitution on their side. The first sixteen words of the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution very clearly and blatantly state, "CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION, OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF" [1]. This means that law makers have absolutely no right to say that someone cannot build a religious institution on any property that is their own (or where the property owner gives permission). Of course there are laws restricting certain things from being built -- for instance a porn store cannot typically exist neighboring a school. However it is very clear that the only reason this institution is being challenged is on the basis of religion itself which stands contrary to American ideals and policy. Let us not forget that the first American settlers came from Europe specifically to flee religious persecution; now we're imposing on other's freedom to practice their religion. A few other things to keep in mind: First, there is already a Muslim center with a mosque in very close proximity to Ground Zero. Nobody ever made a fuss about the existence of this mosque before. The logical conclusion, therefore, is that practicing Muslims have caused no trouble in the past, and the existence of this mosque by Ground Zero has had little to no negative impact on the community whatsoever. It was only when the media brought significant attention to this drama -- and politicians capitalized on it as an opportunity to create discourse for a wedge issue (and criticize Obama by alluding to him being Muslim or pro-Islam extremists) that people had any negative reaction to it whatsoever... which proves that the harsh response is rooted in emotion and not rationality. Having the mosque in this place will not upset or affect anyone - including the families of lost loved ones who had no qualms with the already existing center nearby. Additionally, the proposed mosque is not even located at the site of Ground Zero itself, but two blocks away [2]. Therefore any arguments about the mosque being built on a "burial ground" is clearly false. As such, this debate boils down to straight up bigotry and intolerance or what some have called "Islamophobia." We cannot change or ignore our laws on the basis of emotion. There is no good reason why a mosque should not be allowed to be built in the proposed location. There is certainly no legal basis for the argument either. Good luck, Con. [1] http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org... [2] http://www.cnn.com...