With this post I want to call to everyone’s attention to a point one of my colleges, NYCmosque made. In his most recent blog entry he brings the United States Bill of Rights in to the argument. While I have been making primarily moral appeals to everyone, it is impossible to ignore this legal argument. The First Amendmentis known as the freedom amendment. It states all the freedoms we, as Americans all have. They include the right to free speech, right to petition, right to assembly, free press, and freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is the one I would like to focus on for the next few lines. The freedom of religion means that everyone in this country has the right to practice his or her religion without being hurt by the government. So what exactly is the government doing when they are not allowing the mosque to be built? They are denying Muslim’s right to practice their religion, even though the first amendment says that is against the law. I am surprised that more Republicans have not seen this. They are known for interpreting the Constitution very literally. I do not see how you can get more literal than the RIGHT to religion. It would be interesting to see how many other religious centers are located around that area, and if there are there should be no reason why the Mosque should not be built in Manhattan, and if there are not any religious centers in that area, then we should make the Mosque the first!
Just fyi, the "Right to Religion" as you so eloquently put it, is not absolute. To give just one example, it has been deemed unconstitutional to have children pray in public school in America. Even if they are praying to JC and not Allah, Buddha or Yaw-weh, they do not have a constitutionally protected right to do it publicly, aloud, in school.
ReplyDeleteAll rights granted by the Constitution are circumscribed not absolute. Just because Islam is protected under the Constitution, there is not an absolute freedom to worship anywhere, any way and any time.
I agree with you that the Mosque should be built in Manhattan. I know 9/11 is a sensitive issue for most Americans; however it is time to start forgiving. All Muslims should not have to suffer because of what a few individual Muslims did. Allowing the Mosque to be built in Manhattan would show the Muslims, that America is not discriminating against them. You are right about the Constitution. The Constitution states that in America there is freedom of religion, meaning who can worship anybody, pretty much anywhere you want. The Mosque is not going to harm anybody or put anybody in danger, so why can it not be put in Manhattan?
ReplyDeleteClarion,
ReplyDeleteWhile you say that everything is "cicumscribed" you cant ignore the implications of the law. While there maybe loop-holes you cant get around the fact that the First Amendment says Freedom of Religion. I take that to mean that we all have the right to practice religion when and where we want. This includes Muslims in Lower Manhattan