No Neighborhood Off Limits
Photo: Edward Reed/Office of the Mayor
"Political controversies come and go, but our values and our traditions endure, and there is no neighborhood in this city that is off-limits to God's love and mercy, as the religious leaders here with us can attest."
Mayor Bloomberg gave a thoughtful, moving defense today of the proposed Muslim community center in downtown Manhattan. It is frustrating to me that we are treating as legitimate the argument that Muslim Americans are somehow required to forfeit their rights to worship and assembly as a result of the Sept. 11th attacks. (I also don't know why Diane Sawyer hasn't apologized for asking on air whether "these people" should be allowed to build a mosque near Ground Zero. "These people" also own televisions and can hear you fine, Diane.) It is frustrating to me that our response to a violent attack by fundamentalist extremists is to marginalize and isolate a segment of American citizens. It's really irritating we were all willing to accept that shopping was a decent way to prove that the terrorists hadn't already won, but aren't ready to embrace the idea that staying committed to core American values of tolerance, diversity and religious freedom is maybe an even better way to show it.
It also gets on my nerves that the same voices that dismiss big East and West coast cities as DMZs devoid of true "American values" suddenly feel totally comfortable getting involved in a local NYC zoning issue.
Anyway, read Bloomberg's speech. Kelly Caldwell's piece in favor of the mosque is good too.
Posted on Tuesday, Aug 3, 2010
