Open Thread: The “Ground Zero Mosque”

by Latoya Peterson

Reader Elvira asked why we haven’t opened up a thread about the proposed mosque and Islamic Cultural Center to be erected a few blocks away from New York’s Ground Zero location.

So, here is one.

Our take on this shouldn’t even be necessary because any person who pays attention to the situation logically would realize a few key things:

1. The existence of a mosque/cultural center is not an endorsement of terrorism.

2. American Muslims should not be forced to suffer for the sins of others.

3. Historically, this kind of fearmongering ends badly.

Here’s the link to the ADL’s tepidly worded plea to nobly suffer this kind of religious suppression in the name of “healing.”

Here’s Al-Jeezera’s story, which provides a quote from Mayor Bloomberg, saying “But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves, and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans, if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan.

Here’s a recent story from CNN, which discusses the approval of bus ads that are against the building of the mosque/cultural center.

Here’s the Huffington Post, with a reminder that the mosque/cultural center is a few blocks away from the actual site, and there were dozens of Muslims who perished in the attacks, who also deserve to be remembered.

And as a refresher, here’s why we talk about Muslims/Islam on Racialicious.