Arianna Huffington joined the crew of Morning Joe this morning to participate in a variety of discussions, including a debate over the Islamic center being planned for construction in New York City near Ground Zero.
"We have to make a clear distinction between Islam and the terrorists who are abusing their religion," Arianna said. "If there is ever going to be an end to terrorism around the world, we have to bring moderate Muslims, those who have nothing to do with the extremists, together with those the extremists are attacking."
WATCH:
"There is a lot of good news today, but the truth is that we don't know what one million gallons of dispersants is going to do to the ecosystem," Arianna said. "And the fact that the EPA reduced the amount that was going to be poured into the sea shows that they themselves had major concerns."
WATCH:
'Ground Zero' mosque approved - Americas - Al Jazeera English
Matt Sledge: Just How Far Is the "Ground Zero Mosque" From Ground ...
I think not.
It would be anti constitutional and collective punishment.
Furthermore, the attackers were (almost) all SAUDIS! But, because the House of Saud (never mind the bin Laden family) has close business and personal ties to the powerful Bush family, we will never punish the right perpetrators.
Also, they did not attack us for our freedoms. Can we PLEASE put that old canard to rest? We were attacked because they want us out of their countries. (And they succeeded! Soon after 9/11, Bush removed our military bases from Saudi Arabia. Coincidence?)
We have to rise above this. The US is supposed to be a beacon of hope and liberty - not paranoia. If we want the rest of the world to emulate us, let's give them something worth emulating!
I wouldn't build a Christian Church on a site associated with a massacre during the Crusades either, same reason.
To this day Saudi education includes the racist pronouncement that Christians and Jews are descended from pigs and monkeys ( http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5426633 ). Leaving Darwin aside, such inculcating of religious supremacy would surely lead to devaluing the lives of non muslims. That devaluation is further codified within Sharia law which places the value of a non muslim life at one twelfth that of a muslim life.
To insist that this plays no part in the worldwide strife between muslims and non muslims is not helpful to solving the problem.
I urge all Americans to RESEARCH these verses taken out of context and actually study their intended meaning.
http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/quran_95_commentary/
If you believe that muslims cannot build this mosque, then do you believe catholics can not have schools or put churches where they may be near to children?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_terrorism
The Bush regime taught us to be cowards.
If I may quote a prophet, "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
What about the thousands ( literally) of other attacks and atrocities committed worldwide in the name of Islam.
A cursory look in the news shows beheadings of Buddhists in Thailand, attacks on Hindus, attacks on African Christians ( nealry 2 million killed in the last 20 years)...etc.?
They realize that in doing so they're the ones who are stomping on the religious freedoms that are in direct contradiction to the theocratic dictatorial governmental institutions the proliferation of which was the very motivating factor behind the attacks which caused the immense amount of pain that drives them in their movements against the mosque.
By putting people in the mind set that they can appeal to the government to stop the erection of a building specifically designed for the praise of one religion which the populace does not favor then we have taken a step closer toward the desires of those who first attacked this nation with the very hope that their attack would linger in the mindsets of the victims and not just cause emotional and economic suffering but infect and corrupt their values and make them slowly more acclimated to the idea of theocratic institutions, religious biases, outspoken hate, and a subjugation of the rule of law to the fires of passion.