Twin Terrors

I am having massive issues with both sides of this whole "Ground Zero Mosque" protest. Yes, i know the proposed building is not an actual Mosque, per se, but as one of my friends says, a mosque by any other name and all that. Regardless, what we have are two diametrically opposed packs of delusional dimwits.

Let's start with the anti-construction group. They're led by a known whack job who has taken out a personal jihad against anything Muslim and insists that America is becoming Islamified. Really? Has anyone else noticed a huge influx of minarets? No? Me either. But if you ask her or her whack job disciples, if we don't take this in hand immediately there will be camels on the street come morning. These folks are saying there should be no more Muslims allowed in this country anywhere, let alone on ground zero. There are times when the squeaky wheel doesn't get the grease. Rather, the squeaky wheel draws attention to how very out of alignment it is and it gets replaced.

On the other side of the fence, we have the American Muslims and their supporters. They want to build an Islamic Study Center on the site. They claim it's a constitutional matter of freedom of religion. Well, yes, they do have that constitutional right. I won't argue with that one for a minute.

Here's the actual problem. Once again, people are standing on soap boxes stacked so high they can't see the real question. It's not a question of freedom of religion. It's a question of common decency and basic humanitarianism. If the Islamic peoples of America wish to promote better relations and understanding between the rest of America and themselves, they couldn't pick a worse way to do it. They certainly were not the terrorists who perpetrated the atrocity, and yet, they carry a lot of the same customs and faces. Is it right that we have a hard time looking at them that way? Well, it's not a good thing, and yet, there's no such thing as a wrong emotion. Emotions simply are.

So what would be the answer that would bridge the gap? First we have to factor in the bit where people in general get their hackles up every time something changes on them. People say they're fine with change, but they're thinking of shiny objects when they say that rather than fundamental changes in society. Take technology for example. People will line up for the next shiny gadget, but that's not exactly change in one's basic lifestyle or way of thinking. I believe what the American Islamic community wants is exactly that, a change in the way the rest of America looks at them.

Second, is it really helpful to the cause of the American Islamic community to knowingly hurt the people they are trying to build better relations with, or is it just more important to win a constitutional point? These things are counter-productive at best.

Here's my suggestion. Go right ahead and take over that particular chunk of property. Do not build an Islamic Study center on it. Build a park where children of all faiths can come and play together and learn about each other. Create a working peace garden where everyone can come and work together to raise produce to feed the poor. Get the local Rabbis and Ministers and Monks and Priests and Shamans to volunteer right beside them in the building and maintaining of the place. Then, over time, gently remind people who brought them this wonderful place of caring and understanding. When people are working and playing together, they see that they all have the same basic problems like what to do about their kids and can they make this month's rent. Underneath, we're all basically the same people with different beliefs. You can't learn that about the person standing next to you if you're distracted by screaming voices and huge banners. When you find out that the person standing next to you has the same concerns you have, you're more interested in learning about that person. That's when you start asking questions, when you feel comfortable about them as a person.

I'm not saying it's right that it will take so long and people will have to work so hard and so patiently to "redeem" themselves for crimes they didn't personally commit. I'm saying that if they want to do it effectively, in a way that will create a solid, lasting, and good impression, it's probably going to have to work that way. Forward change is good, but it does take time.

Lily Robertson, who is probably about to be unfriended by a bunch of people, can be reached either at canopicjargon@gmail.com, on Facebook, or you can just protest right here.