Why is this important?

The nation has a nearly 10% unemployment rate, China is breathing down our necks as it became the #2 economy in the world and people are having to auction off their worldly belongings just to get some simple medical care. Somehow, with all these issues going on, the biggest topic today is the proposed "Mosque" at ground zero. Why is this a major topic of conversation right now? It seems rather absurd and also seems to be a way for politicians to bury the lead and get constituents to focus on something other than the real issues that we face as a nation.

It's definitely a sensitive subject. There's no doubt about that. Had I lost family members or loved ones in the World Trade Center attacks, I'd probably have to think pretty hard about this before forming an opinion. There would absolutely be some emotions that I wouldn't be able to get over. Maybe my opinion would even be different than it is right now.

All of those emotions aside, the fact remains that what the people in New York City are trying to do is in no way shape or form illegal. The purchased the land legally and they have the fundamental right given to them by the Constitution to practice their religion wherever, and whenever they want to. These people are American citizens, many of whom were born in the United States. The project was even approved by a New York City board. The main reason for the project is not to put up a giant middle finger to the people who lost loved ones but rather to give those in the Muslim community a place to get together as there is a large Muslim population in, and around, that area of the city. And let's be honest. There isn't a ton of open space in the city for developers to build on. There is no difference between this and something like a Jewish community center. They are places where those of a certain religion can come to spend time with friends, play basketball, eat food and also worship their God. Is there uproar over this because of it's proposed location or because these people worship a different God than what is considered to be the norm here in the United States? I believe it is probably the later.

I heard a great comment earlier. The interviewee said, "Last time I checked, we were attacked by al Qaeda, not Islam." I couldn't sum it up any better. Do we still allow Christians to worship despite the heinous crimes of the Ku Klux Klan? Yes. Do we still allow Germans to enter this country despite the Nazis? Of course. The few people behind the 9/11 bombings were part of an extremist group. They were not the norm or the majority by any means. Why should we punish those who want to practice peacefully? There are nearly 7 billion people in the world with nearly 2 billion practicing Muslims. So few of those people are extremists that trying to calculate a percentage is ridiculous.

Emotions run heavy with anything that involves the September 11th attacks but that doesn't give anyone the right to deny American citizens their basic constitutional rights. We're told over and over again by politicians that they are fighting for our freedoms and to defend the Constitution. That means they're fighting for all of our freedoms. Not just those of white straight Christian Americans. A citizen's religious background should not come into play just as the color of their skin or sexual preference should not as well. Sadly, there is still a lot of bigotry that leads to fear in the world but hopefully in time that will go away.