Blue Mosque - Istanbul
I’ve been reading in the newspapers (remember them) and watching on TV the many Republicans warning Americans about the sinister plot to build a mosque at Ground Zero in NYC.
Apparently, from what the Repubicans say, Islamic extremists are going to build a Triumph Mosque right at Ground Zero. It will be approximately 5,600 feet tall and will have an immense dome of solid gold which will be so polished that the reflection of the sun off of it will blind New Yorkers and fry small pets. There will be 600 minarets, each shaped like a giant middle finger with powerful amplifiers that will broadcast the muezzin’s prayer call at such a volume that it can be heard around the world in Muslim countries where thousands of terrorists will celebrate by running around and shooting their AK-47s into the air and shouting their foreign word for ‘victory’ or whatever.
Of course, when I investigated, the reality turns out to be just a bit different. First, it’s not at Ground Zero and second, it’s not a mosque. It’s not being built by extemists either. Cordoba House, as it is known, is a proposed Islamic cultural center which will include a restaurant, a basketball court, a swimming pool, etc. in addition to a prayer room. Its aim is to improve inter-faith relations.
The proposed location is two blocks away and around a corner. If you walk from the edge of Ground Zero it will take you a bit more than two minutes – a bit more if you’re bellowing angry slogans. Now, I know there’s a lot of ignorance out there, but geometry and physics tell me that something that is two blocks and a bit away from something else is not ‘at the same place’. Perhaps this is another example of why we need to increase education funding, but I digress.
Let me give you an example. I have visited bars and (I have to admit) a ‘gentlemen’s club) within a two minute walk from the White House and the Secret Service did not arrest me for ogling the First Lady or relieving myself in the Presidential toilet because, you see, I was someplace else, not actually at the White House.
Our country is made up of people who originated all over the world and this is one of our strengths. Our tolerance and acceptance of all faiths is a shining example for the world. Unless we somehow believe that all one billion muslims in the world are our enemies then we should understand that a cultural center dedicated to inter-faith understanding will make us stronger, not weaker.
The photo above is of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque – popularly known as the ‘Blue Mosque’ in Istanbul. I took it during a visit there a few years ago. Despite being approximately 99% muslim, Istanbul boasts dozens of Christian churches in all parts of the city – a good example for all of us.
Note: some of this content is adapted from an article by Charlie Booker in The Guardian.