Dorothy Rabinowitz: Liberal Piety and the Memory of 9/11 - WSJ.com

Dorothy Rabinowitz: Liberal Piety and the Memory of 9/11 - WSJ.com

There seems to be a legitimate First Amendment argument for allowing a Mosque on property at Ground Zero in NY City. But this does not mean it should be built at Ground Zero. There is a legitimate argument for requiring the building of the Mosque at another location. The location of the proposed Mosque is within the Ground Zero area, and as such there must be some level of common sense applied to selection of the location for this Mosque. It would seem that we need not prove to anyone our commitment to freedom of religion. No other country in the world has a similar level of religious freedom. There are already 46 other Mosques in NY City. This is ample evidence that Islam is alive and well in this city. We need not discard common sense by allowing the 47th Mosque to be erected in a place that is sure to create intense turmoil and provide a symbolic landmark for the radical jihadist elements of Islamic world . Which raises the point of why even proposing a Mosque at this location? The answer seems obvious. Placing a Mosque at this location transmits the message to all Radical Islam Jihadist that we are a weak nation, crippled by our own extreme tolerance of anything, no matter how outrageous, and unable to discern when tolerance and freedom should be moderated by public safety and national security. At minimum there should be further investigation of the ties the Imam has to Hamas and other Radical Islamic Jihadist organizations. Such investigation may be revealing of the true intent of building a Mosque at Ground Zero.