I love NY, and I love the fact that it made me the New Yorker I am today.
I also love my fellow New Yorkers, and not just because they all happen to live in New York, arguably the most well known, talked about, and sought after city in the world. New Yorkers are so much more than that. They’re all from other places, which makes them the closest thing to being European/American. This, as you guys know, is exactly what I am…so I hold a personal, biased love for them.
Um, I mean us.
Us New Yorkers also have the ability to be able to tell you exactly what we’re thinking, any time of day, all day, every day, twice, in very few words…which usually start with the letter “F”. It is this brass, forward, confident, self-empowering style that caused me to immediately fall for this big, bad, Apple.
* Note: I’d like to express a personal apology to all my friends in Kansas, but just because I went to college there doesn’t mean I’ll ever claim being a Kansan. I love you guys, and it was a nice place to live during some of my formative years, but I’m only Italian, or New Yorker…no Kansan. I’ve got a NY license and everything now, get off my back!! *
…but I digress.
It is perhaps due to the intimate relationship I have with the City (NY gets the big “C”) that never sleeps that I’m exactly torn down the middle of this “mosque being built near the 9/11 site” issue. Well, that and the fact that I’m half American, and probably bleed red, white, and blue…Italian white though.
Half of me is proud of the fact that Mayor Bloomberg and “the gang” want the mosque to go up based simply on the fact that we’re America (hell yeah), and anyone can be American (except illegal aliens, terrorists, and a few select folks in Arizona), and everyone has the right to worship who they want to worship (unless the person you want to worship is David Koresh) here in America.
We’re fair, that’s our story, and we’re sticking to it. We have to be stand by what we said, and we have to lead by example, and be right…even when that means doing something that may seem wrong. That’s the way that we, as Americans, are going to do things around here because we have rules…AMERICAN rules, and those will never die. Born in the U.S.A. Talk to me Goose. Some folks were made to wave the flag, ooooh, that red white and blue.
The flip-side of that coin however, is me thinking “You wanna build a mosque WHERE..?” Not because the people building it are Muslim, or Arab, or believe in a different God than I do…or whatever else it is everyone who’s against them is complaining about. I just think it’s a little sketchy because it was folks from that way of life (allegedly), representing that nation (supposedly), and claiming to be followers of that religion (probably) that most of us here in America don’t follow.
Call me crazy, but folks who have all that in common with the terrorists that caused one of the most tragically memorable moments in America’s history would have to have some major balls to just want to build their place of praise…well…right there. Wasn’t there some other block in this gigantic City that they could’ve chosen..?? That’s kind of like the relatives of the person who killed your kids asking you and your spouse if they can move in across the hall from you.
This is officially the first time I’ve ever ended one of my blog entries with a question, but as I have no official position (because I’m having trouble choosing one), and I really don’t know what else to say, it seems like just this once, it may be the correct thing to do.
…what do you think?
-F
Fidel Everywhere 
Looks like there has always been one anyways.
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I personally think NO place of worship should be built there. No church, no mosque, no synagogue, no buddhist temple. Period. I don’t believe in using the tragedy of 9/11 to benefit any religion. I honestly believe Christianity, Islam, and Judaism have the same roots and the separations/distinctions between them are negatively exploited by people with agendas, the uneducated and uninformed. But that’s a whole ‘nother blog comment. 😉
Here’s the big question: WHY would anybody want to go THERE to WORSHIP? WHAT exactly are you saying/implying when you use a location where 3,000 people were murdered to praise God?
Like you said, they have major balls. At a time where the country is looking at all Muslims as nut-job killers (UNFAIRLY, yes, but in America it’s the pill of ignorance we are forced to swallow), why bring more adverse attention to yourselves by offending so many people? Why imply that the World Trade Site is a place to celebrate victory? To give a testimony? To praise God for all that He has done for you, and to beseech His continued blessings on you?
‘Cause that’s what we do at church. Just saying.
You can’t tell me that there aren’t Muslims out there looking at this situation going “For real Imam? Are you SERIOUS? Well just make us ALL look crazy, why don’t you?!?!”
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but this whole issue has enough power, publicity, and passion behind it to incite (a group of)people to react in a very negative way…which would then justify a retaliation from (another group of)people….anybody else see where this could go?
“I said you wanna be startin somethin, you got to be startin somethin…..”
*moving to Europe*
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I think it’s almost funny that we are debating this idea. Have we all gone off the deep end? Or are we so scared of the Muslim world that we are willing to do anything to appeasing them?
So, my comment to the idea of building a mosque at ground zero is this: NO.
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The souls that were taken from this earth on 9/11 are permenently in their respective places of rest, (or nonrest) so to them it is of no value what we do with the location they passed from. To us, the living souls still on this earth, have all the freedom we can handle to honor those we loved. It is a beauty of choice. We put ashes in a bottle,
( or not, sometimes the ashes are put where ever the request was), we sit on top of grave sites talking to a stone with a name on it we have tenderly spoken so many times, we look at a name on a drawer (or any above ground site) – wondering, is this how it will be for most of us that live not far above sea level? So, how will we honor the site of 9/11? So many souls, so many non-existant graves – could honor be given by letting the living souls have a place to come to rest and be of any faith – remembering always the souls that left us that day? I say – Keep it a resting place in America that will always be remembered for what it is – A choice to go on, living free, and remembering those that had no choice. (I like the idea of them not moving in across the hall, a free choice!)
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What do I think? I think that you have created a very thought provoking piece of writing here. However, being raised muslim… which yes is a religion, but it is definitely not restricted to a country, way of life, or a different “God”. “Allah” means “God” in arabic, and Islam has the basic fundamentals that every religion does. For all of Islam/Muslims to be condemned for acts of violence committed by extremists is unfair. In fact it specifically stated in the Quran that committing suicide is one of the greatest sins and utterly detrimental to one’s spiritual journey. A verse in the fourth chapter of the Quran, An-Nisaa (The Women) instructs; “And do not kill yourselves, surely God is most Merciful to you.” (4:29). The writings of Mohammed in the Hadith also warn against such behavior, “He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Fire (Hell), and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself, he shall keep stabbing himself in the Fire (Hell).” In conclusion, I believe that Islam and muslims should not be condemned for the brainwashing extremist views that are clearly deviant from the beliefs preached by the religion itself and its followers. Let them build a place of worship… if they want to build a terrorist headquarters… now THAT would be something to talk about.
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