The 'Ground Zero' Mosque started a lot of controversy over freedom of religion and everyone's rights. The couple Rauf and Daisy Khan bought an old warehouse and planned to build a community center and mosque where muslims are free to worship. The controversy is that this building is two city blocks away from the sight where the twin towers were attacked by radical muslims who believed they were doing good. This mosque should be allowed to be built at the proposed location because the radical Muslims terrorist do not represent the population of Islam, and our country was founded on our Freedom of Religion.
America was started from people longing for a freedom of religion and the mosque should be built there because we do have that freedom. For instance, in the First Amendment it states we have a freedom of religion, and I think that shouldn't need to be voted on. The New York City Mayor, Micheal Bloomberg, states, “We in New York are Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and we have always been. And above all of that, we are Americans, each with an equal right to worship and pray where we choose. There is nowhere in the five boroughs that is off limits to any religion.”
Although we all deserve this freedom, many others believe it is a very bad place for a mosque after the radical Muslims attacked only two blocks away. Many people lost members of there families and are not wanting a mosque their for it is where Muslims worship and pray. Even though terrorism is terrible we still seem to blame it on all Muslims, not just the extremely radical. Anyone of any race or religion can be a terrorist, and part of this controversy is due to racism and bigotry. For instance, on April 19, 1995, the radical Catholic Timothy McVeigh drove into the parking lot of The Federal Building In Oklahoma City. He had 4,000 pounds of explosives and blasted the building with a force so powerful it lifted pedestrians on nearby sidewalks off the ground. On the bottom level of the government building there was a daycare center that was directly hit and crushed by the collapse of higher levels. Numerous children died. 168 people died, yet Timothy still thought he was a hero. This story was covered by TIMES magazine and other major news sources. Furthermore, it is still not every Muslim persons fault that the towers were bombed yet we still blame them all. 28% of Americans don't even think that Muslims should be eligible to sit on the Supreme Court, and nearly one third don't think Muslims should run for President, states TIME magazine. From hearing this story and statistics I thought that we really do blame the Muslims because I have never heard other terror stories until I researched. Muslims are as American as we are and we need to treat them like that.
This community center is also a benefit for any who choose to attend. The community center will include a library, gym, swimming pool, basketball court, 500 seat auditorium, restaurant, child care facilities, culinary school, a 2 story prayer space, and a 9/11 memorial. There was even a Muslim prayer room on the 17th floor of the world trade center (south tower) according to Procon.org. The nonprofit site put up this information to promote critical thinking to Americans while featuring unbiased research. The community center is a good place and it is not only there because Muslim people want it by ground zero. Abdul Rahman Al Rashed who is an editor and chief of an Arabic magazine and who is involved in many other popular debates says, “The mosque is not an issue for Muslims, and they are not bothered by its construction. Muslims do not aspire for a mosque next to the September 11 cemetery.”
This mosque has caused a huge debate on religious freedom and trust. Although we do have religious freedom, and the community center will be a good place, but many others don't trust Muslim people and think it’s a bad idea to put the center two blocks away from the place where over 2,000 people died. Anyone should have the right to build anything good wherever they choose. To end with, we need to let this mosque be built and see it as a good thing showing we can go forward as a country, recognizing that our strength comes from religious freedom and cultural diversity.