Rick Raw: Muslin Center Near Ground Zero a Bad Idea

By Rick Grant Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

The fact that the Cordoba Initiative to build an Islamic center two blocks from ground zero expresses one of our fundamental rights to freedom of religion, it’s a bad idea. Of all the property that the Muslims could have used, why choose a location so close to ground zero? It’s an insenitive choice.

Being a Muslim is light-years away from being a radical Jihadist. However, the radicalization of Muslims happens from mosques across the country. Although the radical Jihadists recruit from the mosque’s congregation, it’s not condoned by the thousands of Muslims who denounce the radicals.

The center is not actually a mosque but a center that serves a wider community. Still, it’s where Muslims gather which is a fertile ground for Jihadists to recruit radicals.

The truth is: Radicalization begins with young disenfranchised Muslims who are drawn to the radical philosophy and attend the mosques. All they need is a push from clever recruiters who know how to nurture the young Muslims’ budding radical beliefs.

These potential recruits attend Muslim mosques and centers. The recruiters meet them at social gathering and their pitch is subtle at first. Then they try to isolate the young recruits so they can be brain washed into the radical Jihadist mind set.

Before long, the Jihadist newbies are dreaming of 72 virgins and strapping explosives to their bodies for suicide missions. That doesn’t mean that this new Cordoba center near ground zero will be a radical Jihadist recruiting bastion. But it will be a grim reminder of the radical Muslims who used airliners as missiles and killed over 3,000 innocent people in the 9/11 attacks.

Just having a Muslim center near ground zero was ill-advised at best and essentially a bonehead move by the Muslim community. The truth is: The proliferation of Mosques in the United States is a windfall for radical Islamic recruiters. This new center rubs salt into the deep psychological wounds of the 9/11 victims’ loved ones who continue to suffer from grief and PTSD.

Despite the anti-Muslim backlash from many people of all religiions and walks of life, there is a growing population of Muslims in the United States, which sparked the new construction of masques across the country, including the Cordoba center near ground zero.

Most rational Americans realize that radical Jihadists and normal Muslims are worlds apart. Yet, there is a growing anti-Muslim sentiment among a large majority of people who blame the mainstream Muslims for tolerating radicals in their midst. However, the Muslim religion is growing exponentially, eclipsing Christians and other religions.

In some states, politicians have led the crusade to oppose the new construction of mosques. In June of 2010, Lou Ann Zelenik, a Tennessee Republican candidate opposed the Muslim proposal to build a mosque in Murfreesboro. Of course she was playing to the right wing factions that associate all Muslims with Jihadists. Well, they’re Bible belt Republican dunderheads

The proposed construction of the Cordoba center has been a lightning rod for protest at city council meetings. Muslim bashing is rampant in NYC. In contrast, a more moderate faction is willing to live and let live with the new Muslim center. No matter what happens, those who proposed this center so close to ground zero were blind to the widespread prejudice against all Muslims, whose religion is so foreign to American Christians and Jews.

The uproar over the proposed Muslim center exposed the prejudices against Islam that, up until now, were kept to private thoughts. Now, the religious bigotry against Muslims is out in the open.

The fact is: Radical Jihadists recruit their suicide bombers from mosques, not the local mall. So, there is justification for not building any more mosques, although it flies in the face of our constitutional right of freedom of religion.