Friday, August 20, 2010

NYT examines Muslim viewpoints on mosque near Ground Zero.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who wondered what Muslims thought of the whole controversy of having a mosque near Ground Zero. Turns out, the NYT was also curious to survey Muslims on the issue as well.

As expected, even Muslims worry about the mixed message of having a mosque located near hallowed ground, except that the concern is more of a personal safety mixed with a lot of pragmatism from folks who feel not entirely embraced by the rest of America. I believe the NYT article also rightly relates how Japanese Americans were perceived following the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, and how Muslims Americans still feel not quite right in how they are perceived by others in America.

I think most people know the easy answer is to simply relocate a few blocks away. Being free to do what you want to do, but practicing good relations with your neighbors by compromising, is really the American way. (Unless you're hard-core extremist like the Tea Party or ALF.)

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