Religious freedom clashes with 9/11 sensitivity

There is common theme running through the general community today: who can trust the news?

I’m saying this because oftentimes what we hear or read isn’t entirely correct although journalists are supposed to be dispassionate when it comes to presenting the news. Yes, I prefer to watch Fox News, but I’ve caught them more than once leaving out important information when a story is presented. Fair and balanced? Well, not entirely. Then again, can we trust MSNBC to be objective?

Divine help is needed when sifting thru the news.

Islamic Center

The latest issue causing people a lot of angst is the building of a mosque or Islamic cultural center in downtown Manhattan not far from where the Twin Towers once stood. Honestly, I haven’t been paying a lot of attention to the matter although I did recently pray that the Lord would stop the mosque from being built.

Today, I learned something else: what may be built on the site isn’t a mosque, rather a cultural center. Okay, before you get your knickers twisted in a wad, I realize that there may not be much difference between the two as far as some people are concerned.

Ground Zero

The “Ground Zero Mosque” story has been unfolding for several months with the Cordoba Initiative—a Muslim organization whose whole tagline says that they are for “Healing the Relationship Between the Islamic World and the West”–announcing plans to build near Ground Zero. Cordoba states that they oppose radical Islam, just the sort of moderate Muslim group many Americans have been saying they wish would speak out against jihad.

The Cordoba House, or what some people are calling the Ground Zero Mosque, seems to offer little in the way of being a religious center, rather it will offer “…a world-class facility that promotes tolerance, reflecting the rich diversity of New York City. The center will be community-driven, serving as a platform for inter-community gatherings and cooperation at all levels, providing a space for all New Yorkers to enjoy.” That’s how the Cordoba Initiative explains what they are proposing.

Instead of a mosque, the building will house “a 500-seat auditorium, swimming pool, art exhibition spaces, bookstores, restaurants….” Do I buy this assertion? Yes, because those plans are before the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission who approved the tearing down of a 152 year old building on the property to make room for the center.

Legal Opposition

Opposition to the cultural center is coming from several quarters including from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a conservative version of the ACLU, who filed a lawsuit this week with the Supreme Court of the State of New York challenging the Landmarks Preservation Commission decision.

Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ’s chief counsel issued a statement followning the filing of his lawsuit, choosing to use the word mosque instead of cultural center. “This legal challenge clearly points out the fact that the city did not follow its own rules and procedures in this case. The deliberative process was tainted and violated procedural safeguards that have been in place for years. We’re hopeful that the court will nullify the Commission’s vote and conclude what most New Yorkers and Americans understand – this site is sacred ground and not the place to build a mosque.”

Sekulow may be able to have the commission’s decision overturned on procedural grounds which would then halt the cultural center from being built. Or, the Cordoba Initiative could choose to gut the building and repurpose it for their needs.

First Amendment

Aside from what the Cordoba Initiative claims will be built and what the city has approved and what opponents are saying, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows for the building, whether it be a mosque or a cultural center:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Wounded Survivors

Barring that, there is an overriding reason why the Cordoba Iniatitive may want to back down from their plans: the building is too close to Ground Zero and is, as Susan Jacoby stated in “The Washington Post,” still salt in a wound. Jacoby contends that Mayor Bloomberg demonstrated “political ineptness” by publicly supporting its construction. Instead, Bloomberg should have privately met with Cordoba representatives and pushed for another location.

So, what does this have to do with what I usually write about here on Word Journey? Two things, actually. For one, much of the information we come across throughout our days is not entirely accurate. We need the Holy Spirit to help us sift through stuff and base our thinking on how God sees things.

We also need to know that people are not our enemies. Ephesians 6:12 clearly states that our battle isn’t against people, but against spiritual forces. It is easy to have strong feelings about what happened on September 11, 2001, and forget that Muslims need Jesus too. At the same time thinking that an Islamic cultural center located in an area where thousands of people died is going to bring about healing is naïve. Jesus is the balm of Gilead…there is no other.

If the Cordoba Initiative wants to demonstrate goodwill and Muslim sensitivity, then they’ll cancel their plans and build elsewhere. If not, they’ll only add fuel to a fire that isn’t always being accurately reported, but is a conflagration just the same.

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