The Standard-Examiner Editorial Board took a bold stand in this conservative state on Aug. 19 by writing an "Our View" editorial titled "Obama is right on mosque." I am sure it was taken to task by many. And just below the editorial was one by Susan Skordos, a member of the editorial board, entitled "Going Muslim!" She described the interesting experience of her daughter shopping at Gateway wearing a Muslim veil.
It is obvious that whatever is happening in New York City concerning the building of a mosque near Ground Zero has touched a raw nerve throughout the U.S. Interestingly, the proposed mosque at the Cordoba House is not at Ground Zero but two blocks away from it. So I am not sure why the press and many others refer to it as the Ground Zero Mosque. Beyond housing a prayer room, it will also be a Muslim cultural center to foster interfaith understanding and to help Muslims integrate with mainstream Americans. It will not be a traditional building with minarets as you'd normally see on a mosque.
As far as funding goes, I watched the investigative report on CNN on Aug. 20 and learned that not a penny has been collected thus far.
Demagogues have already said that Iran, Taliban, Hamas and every other Muslim terrorist organization are funding this mosque.
We must expect our leaders to stand up for the highest principles of our country because that is how a "righteous" American would speak. I have read President Obama's speech given on August 13 many times--he has truly spoken like a righteous American. "As a citizen and as President," he said, "I believe Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in the country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with the local laws and ordinances." Absolutely no ambiguity there. And spoken like a true leader.
Any other wishy-washy stand by him would have generated a firestorm in the rest of the world that Americans are anti-Muslim. In his speech, he pointed out that Al Qaeda's cause is not Islam but a gross distortion of it. In fact, Al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion, including innocent ones on 9/11.
What is interesting was that a day later, Obama said that he was not commenting and would not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque in that location. Many talking heads have tried to hash and rehash these words, saying that he is back-peddling.
Eboo Patel of the Interfaith Council probably got it right. "I can't tell you what Obama was thinking. I think an important dimension of this is any group of Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, ought to be able to build an institution anywhere that is legal. And it ought to be their choice." Patel likened the controversy to the Civil Rights struggle. "Freedom doesn't mean you can build your institution here but not there. It doesn't mean you can sit on the bus here and not there. Freedom goes for all people -- for every inch on America's sacred ground."
It is a well-known fact that moderate Muslims have a challenge to convince many that they abhor violence, that they are on the side of a nation that seeks to live in cooperation with people of different backgrounds. They have to become far more vocal in condemning atrocities by the extremists against the innocents.
And they must adapt more to the mainstream in how they dress and look. I submit that people are reticent to approach those who don't look similar to themselves. Polygamists in Utah, Arizona and Texas or Amish in Pennsylvania are examples. Clothing and veils become a sign of separation.
Just 200 years ago people of the LDS faith in Illinois were persecuted for their religion. In 1934 in New Jersey, the first Catholic church was burned down by a Protestant group. In the 1960s there was strong opposition to locate a Mormon temple in Washington, D.C. And Mitt Romney's faith became an issue in the last presidential election.
The debate today is really a plus for the openness of America. What is needed is a serious dialogue amongst politicians, and religious and community leaders, rather than making this a political issue in the next election.
What do I think should be done about the mosque? It would be a wonderful gesture if the Imam were to announce that the cultural center complex would be located elsewhere. It would calm passions for years to come and raise the stature of the religion. It would also blunt the dogmatic stand taken by extremists on both the muslim and non-muslim side.
Jonathan Swift, an English writer, said, "We have enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to love one another."
Kulkarni lives in Perry.
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