By David Zheng
<[email protected]>

If you haven’t heard, there are proposed plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero, the site of the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks. The main debate over the issue is whether this would be an abomination, and a “slap in the face” to the families of 9/11 victims, or if it would further solidify the Constitutional right to freedom of religion. For the most part, the public seems to agree with the former. According to the CNN/Opinion Research survey, 68 percent of Americans oppose the plan to build the mosque, while 29 percent favor it.

But those numbers may be misleading, or, at the very least, the opinions of an uninformed populace. First, what we have to realize, though, that this plan includes not only a mosque. The projected Cordoba House will serve as an Islamic community center, which, in addition to a prayer room, will include a pool, restaurant and basketball court. Also, this mosque is not going to be constructed directly on Ground Zero, but rather two blocks away from the site of the 9/11 attacks.

Second, I do not necessarily agree that building a Muslim community center within minutes from Ground Zero is a wise idea, but I will defend the right for it to be done. We must realize that the fact we are able to have this argument in the first place is at the heart of the ideals embodied by the Constitution.

I am reminded of our rights protected by the Constitution. The First Amendment states that Americans are allowed to practice whatever religion they please, and that Congress shall make no law “respecting an establishment of religion.” Simply put, banning the mosque would be infringing upon the First Amendment rights of Muslims. We have to remember that we are at war with terrorism, not Islam.

Still, these ideas must be tempered with the understanding that the First Amendment goes both ways. Although Muslims’ rights to build the mosque and worship near Ground Zero are protected, the rights of extremist pro-American groups to protest Islam are as well. Builders need to realize that building the mosque so close to Ground Zero is begging for controversy. Conflict could potentially arise over the issue, as some could interpret the “Ground Zero mosque” as a symbol of Muslim victory and dominance. Radical pro-American groups may seek to perpetuate the hatred and violence we have worked so hard to vanquish.

The people who wanted to build the mosque should have realized it would be such a contentious issue. I support the right of Muslims to worship as they please, but I think the current debate could be avoided by simply planning to build the mosque somewhere less controversial. The builders most likely have no intent for the community center to be a victory cry for Allah, but they must realize that the pain from 9/11 still lingers. Families of victims still grieve over the loss of their loved ones.

Unlike many critics, I do not think that building the mosque near Ground Zero is a “slap in the face” to families of 9/11 victims. Rather, it is more like putting salt on a healing wound. If the Islamic population of New York desires a community center, then so be it. But maybe it would have been respectful to the families of 9/11 victims to build it further away from such a sensitive location.

I think it’s time for us to transcend the hate and bigotry that has plagued America for so long. Perhaps the building of the mosque near Ground Zero will show the world that America has moved away from the anguish of 9/11 and toward true religious tolerance, as outlined in the document that binds our country together. Let them build the mosque, and let us make a conscious effort to avoid the violence that could potentially follow.