In case you haven't had the chance to talk to a conservative lately: THE MUSLIMS ARE TRYING TO BUILD A MOSQUE IN NEW YORK CITY ON GROUND ZERO AND ANY PATRIOTIC, CAPITALISM-LOVING AMERICAN SHOULD BE UTTERLY OFFENDED!!
When I first heard about the proposed plans to build a mosque near the former World Trade Center site, my initial response was pretty mild; I really didn't care. Then, to my surprise, several weeks later I realized we were in the midst of a media explosion concerning what had apparently become a supremely important, hot-button issue. Shortly thereafter I could not believe the extent to which people were losing their minds over the whole thing.
I have no interest in recapping (as I'm sure you have no interest in re-reading) this whole debacle from start to finish. I would, however, like to simply stake up a few points and present my interpretation of one side of these events, considering I have very limited knowledge of what is actually taking place 'on the ground,' as it were.
Cultural Isolationism: The American Right
I have to say the irony here is hilarious to me. For the last 2 years, the Right has tirelessly undergone a flash makeover from the aggressive neo-conservatism of George W. Bush and John McCain to a nostalgic, half-baked constitutionalism led by media stars such as Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin rather than traditional politicians. So, I suppose it's no surprise that the precious Constitution of the United States--tearfully clung to when fighting taxes and gun laws--has so suddenly been put in check by questions of prudence and (imagine!) contingency.
That being said, it seems clear that with the November elections rapidly approaching, the party of Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich have thrown their ideals out the window in order to concoct a very powerful wedge issue. The republic as we know it cannot function efficiently when people try to understand one another and find some unum in their pluribus. When we are on the eve of an election, it is essential for citizens to be pushed as far to one side or another in order to ensure a decisive victory.
The goal here, as per usual for the GOP since 9/12/01, is to exploit the emotional memories of September 11 to conjure up an Us vs. Them situation which I'm calling Cultural Isolationism. In the same way economic isolationism seeks to protect domestic product and labor by shutting out all outside influence, I see recent trends in conservative politics trying to protect American culture--and I should stress that this is an idealized, fabricated notion of the true founding-fathers-judeo-christian-American culture--and 'American values' by seeking to divide and isolate.
We must be extremely mindful of what is going on here, and what the results will be if we allow a very select few to determine what American culture--or perhaps more accurately, American demographics--should look like. For the American right, it's clear this Islamic center issue is not a Constitutional one. Nor is it even an issue of respect for the dead. This has everything to do with fear and power. Fear of the outside, fear of appearing weak, and power to melt the great American experiment down to a neatly defined, isolated conservative reduction.
There is really no debate, as far as I can tell, over whether anyone has the right to build a place of worship; of course they do. Furthermore, we all know it's wrong to forbid someone from building a place of worship just because they are of the same religion as a random group of terrorists. Let's instead think about who is benefiting from this even being a debate, and whose lives go by the wayside while it happens.
Best critique I have read on the issue to date. Here, here.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, Ben. I understand that no one can tell any religious group that it is impermissible to build a center of worship, but to place a mosque at Ground Zero stimulates feelings of uneasiness in me as well as in many other Americans who have lost loved ones due to the attack on 9/11. The reason why I feel that it is especially uneasy is because it is a mosque and not something else. If you think about Islam, it is a major religion that pertains to many countries in the Middle East and the connection to that "random group of terrorists" that destroyed the Twin Towers and killed thousands of people along with them, is very strong because it was all done under the name of Allah. Yes, we know that terrorism is not characteristic to all Muslims; but the problem is that with Islamism and the lies being told to so many underprivileged and uneducated Muslims that lead to such attacks--as you have so stated. But my question to you is: Do you really feel that building a mosque in Ground Zero is the appropriate thing to do? Taking in consideration, of course, all the Americans that have lost their lives to a religious group of terrorists that are under the name of Islam. How do you know that this mosque isn't being built for the reason of honoring the terrorists of 9/11? You say that it is "the Muslim community around the world who is going to pay for this center." Okay... but why? Who is it in honor for? The thousands of dead Americans? The terrorists? Allah? There seems to be a deeper meaning behind this building proposition, and I do not see it as just an issue for only the Conservatives to go crazy over. This is definitely some strange news...
ReplyDeleteV- As I said in the article, I think there's reason to believe that choosing a site as close as possible to Ground Zero (I should stress that it is not at or in Ground Zero) is meant to be provocative; obviously, this is insensitive as well. I'm just not sure that that's really the issue here. As far as the second half of your question, I've heard many other people ask it and I don't think there's an easy answer. I would say that at it's root, I don't see 9/11 being about Allah, but rather a political-economic agenda. But not all Americans, or Muslims for that matter, see it that way. So, I think it's a valid question, but again, as I stated, I don't think we should act out of fear. In all likelihood, the place won't be built. I think the most important thing is for us to stop feeding into this notion of Islam and the West being mutually exclusive and permanently at war. Not sure if that answers your question.
ReplyDeleteYes, but it's not about being permanently at war. I don't mean to make war the key issue here. It's just about propriety. As far as 9/11 goes, I don't see it as being about Allah at all. It is without a doubt, 100% terrorism. An unexplainable political statement that had to be carried out through such repulsive means. As you have said, the proposition of the building of the mosque should not even be an issue. It's all about common sense. Unfortunately for us, we have too many elected officials without any.
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