el_richo

Is Obama right to allow "freedom" to surpass emotional reactions, considering the fresh history of the site?

Is the risk of backlash, outrage, and potential violence on the structure and users worth it?

Does anybody outside of the US really give a shit?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10973459

mandymoochops

I can imagine that it will upset a fair number of people.

There's so much bloody arguing about shit nowadys that I actually don't care a whole bunch. Who do you believe re the 911 thing anyway. Is someone doing this just to stir up more hatred towards Muslims???

fledermaus

Not to allow a mosque near the site implies that all muslims were responsible for the attacks but that's the way some people think and they will be upset. The location may well have been chosen to provoke.

pdarwin

Surely there are plenty of other places to build a mosque, so I have to think why in that place specifically, where it's bound to upset a lot of people, regardless of whether it's legally allowed or not.

Alphawolf

Maybe they feel the Al quieda will be less inclined to attack the new World Trade Centre if they risk blowing up one of their own mosques!!!!

DaveLovesDee

Just because the alleged 9/11 terrorists were Muslim does not make all Muslims terrorists.

Who is to say what is right or wrong? I've never lived in New York, wasn't there when the Towers collapsed. I don't have politicians or talk show hosts indoctrinating me that America is good and everyone else is bad, or one side telling me that Obama is the second coming of Christ whilst the other side tells me he's the devil.

Politics and religion are inseperable in the US. When was the last time anyone ever saw a politician say he is an athiest? You won't, the say as I doubt you'll ever see many Muslim politicians in Congress or the Senate. In 2005-2006, this was the religious composition of the US Congress. There's not listing for athiesm or agnostic, but there is an 'unspecified' listing (spares both the politician and the religious organisation conducting the survey from awkward answers).

In God We Trust is the US national motto.

ireland2canada

The site in question is, apparently, already being used as a temporary mosque. I don't think that it should be banned, that opens the floodgates, where does it end?

I do, however, think that those seeking to build the mosque in that particular space have reached new heights of insensitivity. How would it be received if someone built a mega church with a McDonalds inside over the ruins of some controversially demolished building in Kabul?

Perhaps if there was more acceptance of others and a general "keep your nose out of others' business" then we may not be in this position.

Alan2005

I completely agree with this.

ExKiwilass

I was listening to the CBC the other day and they had someone on from the Canadian Muslim Congress or something. ANyway, they believe it is a deliberate provocation and that it is being funded by Saudi money, as apparently the leaders are being rather vague about where the funding is coming from. There seems a lack of transparency about it all. THe spokeswoman said she doesn't think many non-muslim supporters understand the battle that is going on right now within Islam, and the muslim community in north america with extremists vs moderates.

She also felt if it were truly dedicated to interfaith dialogue (apparently this is stated as one of the aims of the building?) that would have prayer rooms for other religions, and they don't.

As for why it's got anything to do with canadian muslims - they felt as north american muslims, it reflects badly on them as well.

I thought it was an interesting POV. And yeah, she made the point about building a church in Afghanistan too and how provocative that act would be.

And then of course they had the person who said all the hoo-ha was just islamophobia and blah blah blah.

Auld Yin

I doubt there is anything the US Government/NYC can do if the building of this mosque goes forward. The US is supposedly the bastion of freedom, particularly as it relates to religion. I suspect the financing is coming mainly from the Middle East and probably Saudi Arabia. Fundamentalist Moslems do not care one whit about the insensitivity factor, in fact the more they can piss off the USA (The West) the better they like it.
When all is said and done it is merely a "church", albeit somewhat different from Christian,and Jewish and other ones. Plots and conspiracies have always gone on behind the doors of religious sanctuaries.

Oink

Personally, I couldn't give a monkey's toss what happens in the US, I just wish Canadians could get a bit more self belief and take their collective tongues out of America’s backside.

ExKiwilass

I agree.

And I don't care about the mosque either.

Auld Yin

In what ways are Canadians' collective tongues in the backside of America? What is it we say and do that makes you state that?

ExKiwilass

I'll take a stab

When we get together with cradle friends, with few exceptions, the discussion turns to The US and What Crazy Thing They're Doing Now. You know what? I don't care. I'm actually more interested in the country I"m living in. Like, maybe we could talk about polygamy and whether it being illegal is against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? And what it could mean if it's found that it should be legal? Why can't we talk about stuff that's relevant to Canada?

And then's there's the other two favoured topics: US Health Care and how Canada is BEtter (as if the US is the only yardstick for health care, FFS) and How Everyone Secretly Wishes they could move to the US because it's Mysteriously Better. (though no one can explain to me exactly how or why that's so. And again, is the US the ONLY FREAKING COUNTRY one can move to? FFS)

I once brought a conversation to a halt by stating I had no desire to move there, didn't ever want to, thought Canada was just fine, can we move on please? This was because it turned I can apply for some green card lottery thingie and the cradles were all slavering at the teeth and saying I should do it. It was if it had never occurred to them that Canada was a decent place on it's own.

My impression is a lot of cradles feel insecure about Canada and Canadian values. Hence all the comparison, while at the same time they don't feel like they can take themselves seriously until they've lived in the US, or something.

And then there's the ones who are convinced the US would invade if given half the chance.

THAT was a weird and eye-opening conversation.

I dunno. I don't actually have anythng against the US, I just don't think it's the Centre of the Universe. THough of course if you say that you think that's how Canadians act sometimes, people get defensive, but honestly, that's the impression I get from some Canadians. And also Canada is waaaaaaay more influenced by the US that it cares to admit...which ties into my previous point about the US NOT BEING THE ONLY YARDSTICK to measure one's country by.







I have no idea what's up Oink's bum, but that's what is staring to annoy me.

magnumpi

They also said on the radio, that the US building companies and suppliers would most probably refuse to build or supply building materials for this Mosque anyhow, even if they did proceed to build it.