But I am uncertain of your factual predicate. Not criticizing you or claiming it is false -- I just don't know. It is difficult to find any report that discusses the issue in terms of what the people of NYC want. I read that the NYC mayor thinks the mosque should be built where it is currently planned, two blocks from the site of the Trade Towers. I have found national surveys that show overwhelming opposition to the construction of the facility on that site. But, at a fundamental level, what the nation thinks about NYC zoning is irrelevant both legally and in terms of how governments ought to function.
Only if New York deprives the folks who want to build this thing of their free exercise does this become a federal issue of any sort. So, I think Obama should have heeded the advice of his press secretary. He could have done so and still expressed his general support of free exercise portion of the First Amendment. Those ideas are not mutually exclusive.
Frankly, I think that if NYC can peacefully accomodate a mosque and cultural center two blocks from ground zero, it shows the great strength of our way of doing things. I firmly believe in cultural superiority on this particular comparison.
But I think New Yorkers should get the first cut at deciding what buildings are built where on private property in Manhattan. And in almost all cases, they should get the only cut.
Certainly all Americans have rights including freedom of religion. This group has the right to build within the zoning laws and the building codes on NYC. But we hear that this is an attempt to "reach out" and to be a bridge effort. The citizens of NYC do not feel reached out to -- they feel shoved. I would urge the leaders of the mosque effort in NY to consider the larger message and their role in their own community and in NY. The face that Islam has shown the world for the past decade has been the face of violence. The people of NYC interpret this plan as another aspect of that same face. Consider a way to send another message - not one that demands and shoves -- and another voice -- not one that is so shrill and strident. Another location for the structure would be a gesture of peace-making which would be exponentially more powerful than going ahead with the present plan. To the Islamic American community I call on you to find a way to engage your city with deference instead of with a shove.
That would be a display of leadership.
