The Wizard, the President, and the Mosque

Last Friday, 8/13, President Obama spoke at a Ramadan dinner. During his speech he did what most politicians love to do: state the obvious. On Saturday, he had to clarify what he meant when he spoke the obvious. Of course, since Friday, the talking-heads have been having a field day with the topic. The constant barrage about this subject can be nauseating. Now I am going to wade into the muck.

For some time there has been debate on the proposed cultural center and mosque to be built in lower Manhattan. The news media (including FOX) likes to spin the mosque as the "Ground Zero Mosque." This three word phrase, at least to me, seems to imply that a mosque is to be built in the very location where the Twin Towers and other buildings once stood prior to their destruction in a cowardly terrorist attack 9 years ago. Of course, the fact is that the mosque is to be built on property two blocks away from the location known as "ground zero." Using Google Maps, one can see that when one walks some steps from the building, one can look down the street and view the hole which is ground zero. The mosque is not planned to be built at Ground Zero; therefore, the news media should not refer to the mosque as the "Ground Zero Mosque."

Another misnomer is that the building is not a mosque per se. The building will contain a mosque. However, most of the building will consist of a cultural center which will encompass most of the building. So in reality, the building should be considered a Muslim Cultural Center. When I was young, I attended church in a converted grocery store. I don't think people not associated with the church called the shopping center, "the Church." Therefore, we should not call the cultural center a mosque.

The President on Friday expressed the fact that the people who desire to build the cultural center have every right under the Constitution to do so. This is a fact. No one, not even those against the project, has ever suggested otherwise. Of course, the talking heads began ranting that because the President did not object to the center's location, his comment was support for
"a mosque at ground zero."

The ranting resulted in a clarification which only further muddled the issue. The President said that he was only commenting on the right not the "wisdom" to build the mosque. Here the President weighed in on an issue with a statement of fact not in question without actually taking a stance. Some could argue this is wise because he is allowing the issue to be handled at the local level where it should be handled. Others could argue that his statement without his opinion is not wise because he only fuels the political fire without offering any support.

I like what Charles Krauthammer on FOX said yesterday. He called the actions of the President "cowardly." Just like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, the President runs from confrontation. Of course, the President does not have any trouble stoking the fire while he does so.

First, the President, in front of Muslims, says they have a right to build a mosque on private property. But he does not address the apparent "wisdom" of the decision. Second, a day later and hundreds of miles from the Muslims he spoke with on Friday, while speaking to someone who just might not support the plan, he asserts the "right" without commenting on the "wisdom." Cowardly on both fronts.

Muslims have every right to build their cultural center with a mosque wherever they choose, INCLUDING ON THE VERY CENTER OF "GROUND ZERO." Our Constitutional principles state as such. However, to build the cultural center anywhere near "ground zero" is not a very wise decision.

One can argue all day long that Islam does not play a part in the opposition. That would be a fallacy. Let's face the facts: the terrorists who flew planes into the Twin Towers were Muslims who believed in Islam. The terrorists who attacked the US on that day did so in the belief that they would be rewarded in the afterlife for their actions. This belief comes directly from their religion. Thus Islam played a major role in the attacks which occurred on 9/11.

Now the viewpoints of the terrorists are not shared by all Islamic followers - one hopes the the views aren't shared by most either. The fact remains though that Islam played a role and the Muslims who desire to build the cultural center should take that into account. If they want to be blind to this fact, then they, themselves, are not very wise. It would the same as saying the Catholic and Protestant faiths did not play a factor in the conflict surrounding Northern Ireland's political state. The Catholics desired independence, the Protestants did not. However, the underlying reason was that the Protestants desired to remain with Protestant England vice self-rule or merging with Catholic Ireland. Politics drove the issue, religion underlined the issue. Same with the Twin Towers. The politics of US-Israel drove the attacks. Islam underlined the attacks. An acknowledgement upon the part of the supporters would go a long way to healing the wounds of the families involved in the attacks of 9/11.

Yesterday, I told my girlfriend that it would behoove the opponents of the cultural center to provide a counter-proposal. It is not enough for the opponents to stand on the sidelines and whine and moan about the atrocities of the decision to build the cultural center so close to "ground zero." The opponents need to show they are willing to support the right to build the mosque by helping the proponents choose another site. I was taught as a young Sailor not to go whining to the Chief about a problem unless I had some solutions. The opponents would do well for their side to provide alternative locations, with incentives, to the proponents so that the cultural center is built elsewhere. I applaud Governor Patterson for opening such a door.

Of course, the question is now begged, "how far away is enough?" The answer is simple. Such that anyone in the building or leaving the building cannot see "Ground Zero" from a window or other vantage point from or within one block of the building. I think that would satisfy the opponents.

The President waded into the muck of this situation. He did so in a cowardly manner again showing his total lack of leadership skills. The advice he gets from behind the curtain is not doing well for his performance for the masses. The President needs to learn that a leader does not need to take the middle of the road. Why he is so afraid to say whether the decision for the cultural center is wise or not is beyond me. It is also beyond me how he could say one thing to one group and then allude something else to another. When someone, especially a leader, does this, they begin to lose the confidence of the people they lead and the people around them. (I speak from experience.)

The Cowardly Lion was awarded a medal for bravery in the movie. I think the President needs to drink the potion (book version). He might do a better job at addressing the issues and talking frankly with those around him; instead of doing what he so accustomed to doing: being a pitch man. Oh my, the President is the Wizard.....

Mike

On another note, I recommend everyone look up Ramadan and learn about this holy month for Islam and Muslims who practice Islam. Understanding other's belief systems can go a long way to bridging any gap....