A mosque at Ground Zero?

By CodyAnne Pauli

In New York City and across the nation, there is an uproar about plans to build a Mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero.

Before forming an opinion for yourself, take a second and think back to the moment when you discovered the Twin Towers were being attacked…

Now, think about your feelings toward those who committed this act of terrorism.

After recognizing that the terrible atrocity of the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11/01 and those who committed the act, think about their religion. How do you feel about Islam? Should Muslims be allowed to share the same religious freedoms that we all do, as Christians, Buddhists, Jews, atheists, Taoists, Wiccans, etcetera?

Many say with a booming and resounding voice, “NO.” I think to myself, reading the fervent diatribe from these otherwise independent thinkers, and wonder, “Where am I? Am I even in America?” Now absolutely, they can make their opinions known. They have that right, and I don’t blame many for feeling as if a Mosque near Ground Zero is a slap to their own face. After all, the terrorists who carried out the plot to stab America through the heart were Muslim. That does not, however, mean that all Muslims are terrorists, just as most Christians aren’t KKK members, aren’t proud of the hateful displays of Westboro Baptist Church, and do recognize that the Crusades were wrong.