So there is heated debate over the building of a mosque and muslim cultural center near ground zero. Personally, I don't have a problem with it. There were muslim victems durning 9/11. Regular, everyday people who had jobs, went to school, and paid taxes. These people were just doing their daily routine like everybody else when a bunch of fanatics killed them. There are people opossed to the building of the mosque, saying that it is insulting to the victems. I bet if a group of catholics wanted to build a church near ground zero, there would be no outrage. But that is just my opinion.

http://islam.about.com/blvictims.htm

Everything you need to know about NYM, from the New Yorker:

Ah, the “Ground Zero mosque.” Well, for a start, it won’t be at Ground Zero. It’ll be on Park Place, two blocks north of the World Trade Center site (from which it will not be visible), in a neighborhood ajumble with restaurants, shops (electronics, porn, you name it), churches, office cubes, and the rest of the New York mishmash. Park51, as it is to be called, will have a large Islamic “prayer room,” which presumably qualifies as a mosque. But the rest of the building will be devoted to classrooms, an auditorium, galleries, a restaurant, a memorial to the victims of September 11, 2001, and a swimming pool and gym. Its sponsors envision something like the 92nd Street Y—a Y.M.I.A., you might say, open to all, including persons of the C. and H. persuasions.

Source.

You can also read more here and here.

It shouldn't be built near the site. But according to the constitution they have the right however they should be taxed as a non-religous site.

Why do you hate the First Amendment?

If we are ever to move on from 9/11 it would be prudent to stop hanging on to grudges, I believe. The way you hear people going on about it you'd think they want to build a mosque right on top of Ground Zero and then worship Saddam Hussein... is the entire five mile radius around Ground Zero off limits? This shit is ridiculous, in my opinion.

Stardragon... why exactly should a clearly religious site be taxed as a non religious site? :\

Originally Posted by Fabby

If we are ever to move on from 9/11 it would be prudent to stop hanging on to grudges, I believe. The way you hear people going on about it you'd think they want to build a mosque right on top of Ground Zero and then worship Saddam Hussein... is the entire five mile radius around Ground Zero off limits? This shit is ridiculous, in my opinion.

Stardragon... why exactly should a clearly religious site be taxed as a non religious site? :\

Because they want a restaurant in the complex.

Personally, I think that regardless if it was a mosque or a cathedral or anything. I do not think ground zero should not be built upon. I think it would be nice if they could turn it into a memorial site, perhaps with a park and such?

I'm 100% fine with a mosque there. If anything it should show America's ability to forgive and tolerance for other cultures and religions. They can have a little memorial right outside of it. But no need to have such a large grudge. Might be a faulty metaphor, but do we still hold a grudge against the "South"/"North" because of the American Civil war? Many more men died then than by terrorists in America, I believe. Kinda sure.

@ Hatake, I'm pretty sure there is a fair number of people who are against the outcomes of the civil war. Even though it happened ages ago. But no matter what you do, they're most likely will be people offended.

I still personally think that people really need to get over the whole 9/11 thing, so I find it odd that there is even debate about it. I also find it extremely racist.

Let them build, is my opinion.

Originally Posted by Stardragon

Because they want a restaurant in the complex.

The local Christian community center has something akin to a restaurant (and source on that, anywho), but it's still considered a religious site.

And before anyone says anything, no, religious site /=/ mosque. It's not a mosque, it's a community center, just as a hospital is not a church just because it has a chapel.

Originally Posted by Wynna

Personally, I think that regardless if it was a mosque or a cathedral or anything. I do not think ground zero should not be built upon. I think it would be nice if they could turn it into a memorial site, perhaps with a park and such?

It is two blocks away from Ground Zero.

Personally I think this whole "controversy" has been whipped up way beyond what's merited. All of Islam, all Muslims everywhere, did not participate in the 9/11 attack, nor did all of Islam and all Muslims everywhere support or condone that attack. Terrorists, who also happened to be Muslim extremists, performed the attack. Why should all law-abiding, peaceful Muslims in the United States be prevented from worshipping where they wish, and where they can find the space for their center, because of a group of radicals?

The people building this community center (aka "mosque") are American citizens with all the rights and privileges thereof. Since when can a government dictate where a building can be built purely on religious grounds? Sounds like a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to me.

(To end on a more cynical note, you can bet that even if this project is undertaken and opened to the public, there will be people--perhaps unofficially--keeping an eye on it to see that it doesn't become some kind of terrorist hotspot. But then again, after all this publicity, what terrorist with any survival instinct would try to recruit or conduct activities there?)

They should be allowed to build a mosque or a center 2 blocks from ground zero. Saying only a certain people can built near a certain place is racist. Blaming Muslim Americans for what their others do is like blaming irish Catholic Americans for what the IRA does.To wuote my grandfather, a Rabbi about the uprizing of nazism in europe, when they start restricting one soon they'll restrict all. And yes there is in fact a japanese restraunt at pearl harbor (several I believe)

I agree. In fact, I think it could go a long way towards repairing relations with those of the Muslim faith who feel put out because of the prejudice against them since 9/11.

Hearing this from people online actually surprises me. All I've heard from people seemed to be negative, but I'm hearing a lot of logical thinking.

I do think it's racist to be dead-set against a mosque on/near/around ground zero. All it does is to further catalyze the hate between Western and Eastern society. It wasn't the Islamic religion that attacked the towers, it was the extremists. As such, think of what the Christians have done throughout history that has been just as extreme, like the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, the Witch Hunt. I think the hypocrisy coming out of people about this mosque is just ridiculous.

Originally Posted by Kris

It is two blocks away from Ground Zero.

So where they are think of placing the mosque is only near ground zero and not actually on ground zero?? What's the big deal then about it.

It think what's going on here is that some people just enjoy creating drama, I'd say it's as simple as that. As Rando so rightly states, all religions have their extremists and it's them who give all the other peaceful worshippers a bad name. But that is the same the world over about everything, it's the throuble-makers who are remembered and cause anyone else in their club/group/clique/school/team etc to be tarred with that same brush.

I think it would be nice if ground zero became a multi-cultural spiritual centre for those who don't have their heads jammed up their own arses. For the ones who do? Well, I dunno, I could go as far as saying that a lot of those people don't want to be enlightened, they enjoy being racist or whatever their chosen "ist" is a little bit too much.

Unfortunately, Jelly, they're gonna build a mall on ground zero instead :(

That kind of says it all about 21st century humans, doesn't it? We're an appallingly shallow race.

Someone (I think Roger Ebert, but I can't remember) actually suggested just scooping up all the rubble and letting whatever grow out of the soil be the monument. No plaques, no statues, just nature and the dead that lie beneath it. I think that's a much better idea than a mall >3>;;

Heck, I think a community center would even be better than a mall. But eh, gotta turn it into a tourist trap instead 9_9

Letting it return to nature would be wonderful, a proper rebirth, which would be absolutely fitting, but yeah, I wonder what the land value per square metre is there...turning into what is basically a vacant lot just wouldn't happen. I just wish it wasn't going to become something so banal as a mall ._.

Well, they've already got one T-shirt vendor across the street and another two streets over. Might as well make it a tourist attraction. Put in a rollercoaster or something.

We can make a Super Mall on top of the Mecca.Since they can have a religous center near where the Trade Towers once stood. :P Personally the site should be turned back to Nature since we all know that New York is a polluted,crime ridden,and infected by the power of hate from all three sides.

Hey, guys, I just thought I'd point out <again> that is not on the actual site. It is blocks away from it. You wouldn't even be able to see the community center from where the WTC used to stand.