The Mosque Near Ground Zero

There are no doubt a number of Americans who have had loved ones killed in Northern Ireland by one faction or another, yet Protestants could not reasonably argue against a Catholic church in their neighborhood because of their pain.  Neither could Catholics whose family members had been killed by Protestant terror groups argue against building a Protestant church.  Part of the reason that such a reaction is unthinkable is that, whatever our personal opinions, we all know that the numbers of Protestants and Catholics who would never even dream of committing an act of terrorism far outnumber the brutal fanatics who would.

Because I have known many Muslims in my life and know them to be decent and compassionate people--and also because I didn't lose anyone I cared about in the 911 attacks--it is easy for me to sympathize with the Muslim community in their desire to build a mosque. I am totally sure that 99.9% of Muslims in America would not have been able to even imagine--much less carry out--the criminal attacks in 2001. In fact, the imam who wants to build this community center has been a critic of religious violence and a proponent of closer relations between the U.S. and Muslim countries.

Yet, the very real pain of the 911 families should not be ignored. If you have never known Muslims and have lost your loved ones to people who claim to be acting in the name of Islam, the sight of a mosque near to Ground Zero has to be excruciatingly painful.

Is a compromise possible? For example, can the directors of the Islamic Community Center commission a memorial of some kind to the victims and include a statement denouncing all acts of violence committed in the name of religion by anyone? It seems to me that a beautiful and dignified memorial to the victims of 911 could go a long way toward easing some of the pain. While this is not well-known, some of the 911 victims were themselves Muslims. A memorial at the Islamic Center commemorating all victims of all faiths would be perhaps the best way to honor the Muslim victims--and all victims--of 911.