The WTC Mosque

There is nothing worse than misinformation, and since I aim to bring information to counter those who bring that misinformation, let's go over how this whole thing started. And a hearty thanks to the people over at the Washington Post and Salon for the stories in this vein. Just a short timeline, since you can click the links and read the more in depth stories yourselves. Commentary follows the timeline.

12/8/09: The NYT did a story on the Cordoba Project, and about how they want to push back against the extremists

12/21/09: Laura Ingraham interviews the Daisy Khan (wife of the Imam who is working on building the community center) The conservative radio host likes what they are trying to do, condones it.

Jump ahead 6 months.

5/6/10: Manhattan community board one approves the project. New York Post writer Andrea Peyser labels the story " Panel approves WTC Mosque". Blogger Pam Geller loses it in a blogpost titled " Monster Mosque Pushes Ahead in Shadow of World Trade Center Islamic Death and Destruction" calls it's building a "Giant victory lap" for those who killed those 3,000 people in the WTC.

5/7/10: Pam Geller's political advocacy group, the SIOA (Stop Islamization of America) launches the "Campaign offensive: Stop the 9/11 mosque"

5/8/10: Pam Geller announces first protest will be 5/29/10

5/13/10: Andrea Peyser writes an article framing the issue as wrong, taking Geller's concepts to the masses for the first time. Incorrect date of mosque opening is announced in article. 9/11/11, ten years to the day of that...crime, that tragedy.

After that, there are no dates given to events, except to say that Geller appears on Hannity, then the story spread to the Washington examiner, a conservative DC paper, and Investor's business daily. We know the story after that.

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Now, for those of you who don't know, there is already a mosque in that area, and it's been there for years. It's on Warren street, for those who know the area.

This community center/ mosque that is being built is, understandably, a matter of some contention for the families of those who lost family and friends in 9/11. And trust me I understand why.

I live in New York.

I saw the second plane hit the tower with my own eyes.

I watched it fall.

I smelled the death and fear in the air as I went to work the following Monday.

I don't need to be spoken to about the atrocity that was 9/11, or the wrong done by Islamic fundamentalists. 2 friends of mine died there that day. I planned my older brothers Bachelor party with one of those gentlemen years before. Every day I breathe I honor those men and all the others who lives were cut short by those damnable jihadi nut-jobs.

But that does not mean that every Muslim is a jihadi nutjob. That does not mean that the freedoms that this country has fought and strived to protect should be thrown aside in the name of anti-Muslim religious fervor.

The Jihadis who did that are dead. You cannot seek vengeance for 9/11 on them. Going after these people, citing 9/11 and the WTC as a reason, is stupid and wrong. You cannot win a fight that is already over. Our honored dead cannot be brought back to life, and their ghosts will not help you defeat freedom in their name.

You want revenge upon those who did this terrible thing to us. To my friends. I understand, but I will not stand with you while you argue for the destruction of religious freedom.

Muslims have very different beliefs from Christians. They are not, in general, evil. The ones that are, I and we, will fight, the ones that aren't, I and we, should not fight.

Don't confuse your neighbors for your enemies. Anger where anger is justified, and simply stated it is not justified here.