
President Obama is being criticized by three Republicans for speaking out in favor of the proposed mosque near Ground Zero.
At a Ramadan dinner on Friday, Obama said that although it is a sensitive issue, he supports the right of individuals to build a mosque near Ground Zero, without saying whether it should be built.
"The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. The pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground." Obama said.
"But let me be clear: As a citizen and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of our founders must endure," Obama added.
Republicans have taken Obama's comments and run with them as political fodder in election season.
House Minority Leader John Boehner said: "The decision to build this mosque so close to the site of ground zero is deeply troubling, as is the president's decision to endorse it."
"The American people certainly don't support it," Boehner said.
Former House Speaker and potential 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said: "There is nothing surprising in the president's continued pandering to radical Islam," he said. "What he said last night is untrue and in accurate. The fact is this is not about religious liberty."
Finally, New York Rep. Peter King said: "President Obama is wrong. It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero. While the Muslim community has the right to build the mosque, they are abusing that right by needlessly offending so many people who have suffered so much. The right and moral thing for President Obama to have done was to urge Muslim leaders to respect the families of those who died and move their mosque away from Ground Zero. Unfortunately, the president caved into political correctness."
Actually, the right thing for Obama to do would have been to keep his nose out of the issue until the matter resolved itself.
Obama is correct when he says the mosque organizers have a right to build the structure under this country's religious freedoms. It would say a lot about this country if the mosque was built near Ground Zero. It would say that we truly believe in the ideas of religious freedom that we profess to all the time, not just when it is convenient or fits in with our ideals.
Critics also have a point when they say they feel the move is insensitive, but Americans would be outraged if someone tried to prevent the construction of a church near where some right-wing Christian militia committed some terrible act.
However, Obama's involvement does nothing more than make this a national political issue. Unfortunately, Obama has a habit of commenting on issues that he should keep quiet about.
His comments about the Henry Louis Gates controversy is the best example. Obama's comments about the arrest and criticism of the police before all the facts were clear nearly derailed his proposal to overhaul our health care system. It took the story from a one or two day story to a developing story complete with a "beer summit" at the White House.
Obama's comments also came as mosque organizers said they were open to New York Gov. David Patterson's offer to help the mosque get land for the building elsewhere.
"Fact: We are open to discussions with Governor Patterson and never said no to speaking with him," the mosque organizers tweeted.
Now, just as it looks like this issue may have been heading to the peaceful ending it deserves, Obama's comments may stir it up again. The president should speak out on issues that he feels are of importance to the country but he should pick his battles more carefully.


Comments: (56)
Add a comment
By: Blind Justice on 8/16/2010 2:28PM
The Radical Jihad Muslim President
In order to get more traction for the 2010 elections, President Obama’s adversaries who live in the insane racist political world of Newt Gingrich, O’Reilly’s Fox and the Limbaugh radio bigoted followers, are the first Amendment religious intolerance and Sharia law, terrorist Islamic phobia, fear mongering protestors, who did challenge the building of a Muslim Community Center with a Mosque included, two blocks away from the World Trade Centre site in New York City.
One of the major strategies these bigots used to create their political platform against the president was Islamophobia. The fear and presupposition that all Muslim people who were in favor of the Mosque were trying to put 3,000 notches on their gun handel by building a Mosque on the scared grounds of the Trade Centre.
But, you know, it was President Bush who addressed the nation right after the terrorist attack on the Trade Centre that said, “like the good folks standing with me, the American people were appalled and outraged at last Tuesday's attacks, and so were Muslims all across the world.”
“Both Americans, our Muslim friends and citizens, tax-paying citizens, and Muslim in nations were just appalled and could not believe what we saw on our TV screens. These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith, and it's important for my fellow Americans to understand that.”
“The face of terrorist is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace, they represent evil and war.
When we think of Islam, we think of a faith that brings comfort to a billion people around the world. Billions of people find comfort and solace and peace. And that's made brothers and sisters out of every race, out of every race.”
“America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country.
The Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads, and they need to be treated with respect.
In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect. Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear covering must not be intimidated in America. That's not the America I know; that's not the America I value.”
But, that sentiment as it related to President Obama’s time in office, no longer had any legal or moral standing anymore. Case in point:
The American Family Association Says: No More Mosques, Period.
Bryan Fischer, the American Family Association's unofficial spokesman and the group's director of issues analysis, writes some rather incendiary stuff.
Like most far-right Christian zealots, Fischer really hates Muslims, as Right Wing Watch notes, "Fischer has been hating Muslims long before it was the cool conservative thing to do." In the past, he's suggested that the "most compassionate" thing to do would be to deport all Muslims back to "Muslim countries." He's even managed to fit his two favorite targets into the same conspiracy, theorizing that the military is run by "fundamentalist Muslims and homosexual activists."
In a post Fischer wrote, this time calling on the government to prohibit mosques from being built anywhere in the United States, period.
Permits should not be granted to build even one more mosque in the United States of America, let alone the monstrosity planned for Ground Zero. This is for one simple reason: each Islamic mosque is dedicated to the overthrow of the American government.
Because of this subversive ideology, Muslims cannot claim religious freedom protections under the First Amendment. They are currently using First Amendment freedoms to make plans to destroy the First Amendment altogether. There is no such thing as freedom of religion in Islam, and it is sheer and utter folly for Americans to delude themselves into thinking otherwise.
Bottom line: it's suicidal for America to allow terrorist training cells to crop up all over the fruited plain. And each mosque is an actual or potential terrorist training cell, as Anwar al-Awlaki has demonstrated. His north Virginia mosque was used to radicalize three of the 9/11 jihadis as well as the Major Hasan who shot up the infidel idolaters at Fort Hood.
It’s ironic, that for all who oppose the building of the Mosque at the 9/11 site, none of them have any opposition to the Mosque that’s housed within the Pentagon, which is also hollow ground as a result of the same attack.
That stoking of Islamic rhetoric in order to trigger fear, having been said, the rational thinking and true leadership by President Barack Obama did emerge, and he fully endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero to be built while saying, “the country's founding principles demanded no less.”
,President Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has driven New York City and the nation, "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country.
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."
As in the past, and with his intelligent display of eloquence, the president went on to say, “our Founders understood that the best way to honor the place of faith in the lives of our people was to protect their freedom to practice religion. In the Virginia Act of Establishing Religion Freedom, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.” The First Amendment of our Constitution established the freedom of religion as the law of the land. And that right has been upheld ever since.”
In the end, the president’s opponets and their waterloo strategy for him to fail, did paint him as a “ president who was pandering to radical Islam and not in touch with the majority of Americans.” Ironically up to this point, the Tea Party has always accused him of circumventing the freedoms of the constitution; but in this case, he’s being demeanized for supporting and preserving the freedoms of the constitution, go figure.
I submit the leader of the free world was simply defending freedom within this part of the free world called America.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Joe on 8/17/2010 12:25PM
Blind Justice You are a buffoon. Obama loving fool. As BHO's popularity plummets you rant and rave about us whites?? You need to put down the crack pipe and get a job. Feeed those childs from different baby mammas, too. Build your Mosque away from where your fellow Muslims killed innocent babies, foo.
Report This
By: El Jibaro De Lytle Creek on 8/18/2010 11:29AM
Another national media projection RE: religious freedom as long as Plotocracy tolerates. The corporate think prefers division of citizenship in lieu of the commonality improper distribution of the resources to the masses. Listening to the local police agencies practicing what seemed like hours of heavy anti-personnel machine guns, and the millions spent in citizen control during the summit meeting in Toronto, i realized We The People are the target. Plotocrats have used duplicity to avoid the Rule of Law, WeThePeople have legislated. As long as Charlie fights with his brother Mohammed and Hak Soon, Plotocracy wins. Let us maintain the status quo and hate with a passion our comiserated sisters and brothers.
Oy Veh?
El Jibaro De Lytle Creek
Report This
By: gmann on 8/18/2010 8:27PM
Joe , You are the buffoon ! since you want to bring black and white into your foolish comment. It wasn't blacks who accepted money for the property but greedy azz whites like your dumb azz! The owners of this property knew who they was selling to and the color green over ruled their greedy minds they got millions more than the property was worth and had these people been hitler henceman they would had still sold it, so you are blowing air out the wrong side of your azz. Since this property has been sold the law is on the muslims side and that is all this president was saying, facts that nobody can get around it's stated in the constitution. Idiots like you can't have it both ways. Had this president disagreed with this law that he is sworn to up hold, he would've still been criticize on this matter but this time rightly if he chosen to go that way. You and your sort is the trash who love to come on B.V. with your sorry whining and asinine rhetoric like you are the only citizens in this country, who holds down a job and have no fatherless kids, in all likelyhood you are probably one of them deadbeats with me paying tax for your welfare momas and kids.
Report This
By: Alie on 8/16/2010 4:38PM
In a statement Saturday, House Minority Leader John Boehner said the decision to build the mosque wasn't an issue of religious freedom, but a matter of respect.
"The fact that someone has the right to do something doesn't necessarily make it the right thing to do," Boehner said. "That is the essence of tolerance, peace and understanding."
If 9/11 wasn't a wake up call for America nothing else will, take note that in Europe Church's are empty while mosques are full don't believe all that you go goes on in mosques i.e. praying or good causes mosques are also a training ground ask our soldiers who are coming over from Iraq what goes on in mosques ask Britain who had to shut down a mosque in London because it was a training ground and a hiding ground for illegals false passports etc, people use such buildings as fronts to say it is only a mosque is an under statement and a slap in the face for americans, regardless if people tell you it is not even near ground zero it's common distancy not to even think of putting a mosque there this is very insentive, have you ever heard what some of these Imans preach about America in these Mosques? No? you better find out! Sharia Law is their aim and world wide Sharia Law at that.
When you are born a muslim they say you remain a muslim, if you want to live the religion they will hunt you down until you return back to the religion, I doubt very much that Obama is a christian why? he and his family have yet to settle in a bible beliving church? I understand that they worship at the episcopal church in DC the same branch of church of Gene Robinson remember him? I also believe he celebrates Ramadam and is a muslim he practices the faith remember his sister and his whole family studied the Koran in Indonsia, I believe by what he said confirmed my belief that he is a Muslim.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Bilie Louden on 8/18/2010 1:48PM
I agree 100 percent. Muslims will kill Black Americans just as quick as White ones. Why do we feel we have some special ties to these terrorists? Why can Obama not be questioned? We demand equality then want special treatment. This President is scarier than any movie I have ever seen. He is one of them and counts on ignorance and blind loyalty by Back Americans to keep him on top. GOD HELP US ALL.
Report This
By: blackadonnis on 8/19/2010 12:59AM
Remember where you come from when you talk about religious atrocities. Here in America, Black men were lynched, shot and killed, by the thousands, by members of Christian religious groups. Native Americans were slaughtered for being "godless savages" by Christians. Many of these crimes were perpetrated by the 'good christian' people of this country in the name of religion for the good of the white man(who is the only true human).These murderers used the Bible to justify their biases and bigotry, prejudices and crimes.
So you see, every religion will have its despots(yes, even Catholics and Muslims),its haters and fanatics. Muslims in America do not have a monopoly on that.
Report This
By: whytbull on 8/19/2010 7:03PM
Who cares! I think your a Muslim too Alie, maybe your boss will find out and fire you!
Report This
By: R.C. on 8/16/2010 5:36PM
NO MATTER WHAT MR. OBAMA SAY, THE RIGHT WILL FIND FAULT. I KNOW THAT I UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE SAID AND MENT. HE IS RIGHT ON BOTH ACCOUNTS. FIRST AS THE HEAD OF STATE HE SHOULD STAY OUT, AND NEVER LET HIS PERSONAL VIEWS BE KNOWN. I AM NOT FALLING FOR THE RIGHT RANTS. OH BY THE WAY WHICH BLACK GOP HAS WON ANYTHING OTHER THAN MR. STEELE?
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Joe on 8/17/2010 12:25PM
Yo RC brotha from a different motha How about the number of negros in the Obama admin v the number of negros in the Bush admin. Name more than 2 in you hero Obama's admin... High ranking two, foo
Would you like me to list those of color in the W admin? Powel - Rice sort of high up? huh where did ya go, beeeeootttch?
Report This