tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1293406215612885491.post6338442461946455670..comments2023-03-21T09:40:03.723-07:00Comments on Piles of Philosophy: The MosqueWaynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08627147979307495870noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1293406215612885491.post-72456402674305738792010-09-05T07:17:03.172-07:002010-09-05T07:17:03.172-07:00While I think your first point is a good one, I...While I think your first point is a good one, I'm not sure about the second or third...<br /><br />I'm not sure what the Taliban or Al-Qaeda approves or disapproves of should dictate what we do. Even if we're doing the opposite of what they want us to do, doesn't necessarily mean its the right thing to do.<br /><br />Your third point, although true, really just changes the subject. There's tons of things out there that we should be concerned about, from Katrina victims that are still without homes, to big banks and such. Although there is a political cost to publicly talking about this issue over another, I think all of them are important issues that should be thought about and not ignored. To say that we should be thinking about big banks is a red herring.Waynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08627147979307495870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1293406215612885491.post-83362835514094459292010-09-02T18:18:30.254-07:002010-09-02T18:18:30.254-07:00While I think every religious group has the right ...While I think every religious group has the right to practice and build worship facility "in accordance to ordinance" as Obama said, I don't think that the mosque should be built.<br /><br />1. Although the proposal for the mosque (or to be politically precise, an Islamic center which includes a pool, gym and other grandiosity) is an attempt to massage the sore spot in American ideology regarding Muslims. However, before the plan can solidify, we're already witnessing extreme divisiveness. Repercussions rippled almost immediately after the announcement: arson at a Tennessee mosque, five teenagers arrested for shooting up in a NY mosque, New Yorkers (who were once united by the tragedy of 9/11) began lunging at each others' throats.<br /><br />2. Are we really helping Muslims from across the world? While it is true that the U.S. opposition certainly makes us look like the intolerant superpower to the rest of the globe, it's more detrimental for the youth who are growing up and happen to be Muslims. There's a sense of guilt and inferiority being programmed into your very own religious fiber. Reportedly, the Taliban is actually GLAD that the U.S. refuses the mosque proposal: <br /><br />"Newsweek is reporting that Taliban operatives in Afghanistan say the backlash against the construction of an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan has been a boost for the militant group. An operative named Zabihullah told the magazine, "By preventing this mosque from being built, America is doing us a big favor...It’s providing us with more recruits, donations, and popular support." Zabihullah’s comments mirror what many US terrorism analysts have been saying about the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric in America."<br />Evan Kohlmann recently said, "We are handing al-Qaeda a propaganda coup, an absolute propaganda coup."<br /><br />3. Are we being frivolous and distracted by what's really at stake? Danny Schechter (Plunder: The Crime Of Our Time" is right, this whole mosque business serves as the perfect distraction from issue that HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO ALMOST EVERY ONE OF US which is the big bank's reprehensible practices and the lack of accountability (no media coverage, no criminal prosecution whatsoever). The mosque debate serves as the perfect tactic to promote disintegration, more conflict, more separatism, more partisanship (oh look, what perfect timing too, right around the corner from the midterm election).<br /><br />Mere-IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com