Matt-Chicago wrote:Making me agree with Samonuh - unforgiveable.
Guys, this is where bigotry and ignorance come together. Lumping all muslims together, assuming they are outsiders and not Americans, etc.
Tell me, is this community center (15 floors, one small mosque) which is not at the WTC site and doesn't even have a view of the site - a sunni mosque or a shia mosque? Trick question, because it's neither, and Feisal Abdul Rauf is a Sufi - which is about the opposite of radical Islam.
He's a terrorist for saying US policy contributed to 911? I guess I'm a terrorist too, because it's plainly obvious that 911 was backlash for the US organizing, training, and arming Islamic extremists to fight in Afghanistan and Yugoslavia, who then turned against us with Bin Laden as their leader once we opened permanent military bases in Saudi Arabia.
You're upset about a muslim community center, how would you feel if Saudi Arabia opened military bases in the US?
Matt-
If you wish to agree with Samonuh, that's fine. He has his points, but he missed mine. But I guess I need to clarify. Based on their 'rights' to build a Mosque, there is no dispute. But whether it is the 'right thing to do' at this point in time to build it 'near' Ground Zero (whether in-view or not), there IS a dispute. Otherwise, there would be no outcry about it happening.
Also, and I should know, there have been numerous investigations into Mosques that were touted to be 'freindlys', that had 'cells' of Radicals within them. Now, I'm not lumping this new Mosque in that same group, just as I am NOT lumping true Muslims with radicals. They could very well be a fantastic group of people. And I heard they will have a memorial inside their Mosque condemming 9/11...which is a very honorable thing to do. But, unfortunately, it's the 'image' of a Mosque going up in the ruins of what the radicals made happen that is angering so many. It's like Hassdog said, It's viewed as a 'trophy for the radicals'. [not a word] of whether or not the tenants are good people or extremist...it doesn't
er to the radicals..it's viewed as a victory. I just wish the 'good' Isalmic people would at least respect that.
Regarding Saudi Arabia opening bases here?..That's up to our Leaders to decide, as it was for the Saudi Government to invite us in to 'their' country. If there is mutual benefit, then it could happen. We didn't force ourselves in, but the U.S. wasn't going to balk at having a land based forward launch point against the russians, should we go to war with them in the future during the cold war. I piloted Navy P-3C Orions with my Squadron over in Saudi Arabia in 1988 patrolling up and down the Gulf to help the Saudis keep an eye on the Iranians during the Iran/Iraq war. Why? Because we were 'asked' by the Saudi Government to do so. They treated us very nice as we were there to help protect their shores from invasion or attack. We had Navy ships in the area doing the same thing. Boring missions, and I hated being over there, but it served a purpose. Afghanistan was a total cluster since our government screwed up and abandoned it to the Taliban after we helped kick the russians out. No excuse to be sure. Our govt messed up, and Bin Laden was pissed that we just left it there in ruin without fixing things after that war and getting the country pointed in the right direction.