This is Celebrate Freedom Week, the goal of which is to “outline the values on which this country was founded.” We all know that the pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower to flee religious persecution. Freedom of religion was created for all Americans, not just a select few. The First Amendment says we believe everyone should have equal rights, whether we personally agree or not.
The proposed Cordoba Mosque is set to be built two blocks north of Ground Zero in New York City. The project, called Park51, will not only include a 13-story building, but also a swimming pool, basketball court, auditorium, culinary school, library, art studios and meditation rooms. It has brought America into uproar…but why? In this same vicinity, there is a Catholic church. If a church were to be built for any other religion besides Muslim, would it still be protested? These are the questions we must ask ourselves. We gain nothing from persecuting a community and religious center.
We assume that because our World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorists who claimed to be Muslim that all Muslims must be guilty by association. Although we claim to invite people into our nation as one of freedom–the great melting pot, it seems lately that we only welcome those we feel are “acceptable”. Our ancestors came to America fleeing the same religious persecution that’s being exercised now. Are we so quick to judge when early Americans fled from the same reason? The proposed mosque has brought about a fervor of anti-Muslim activity, with people even going so far as to threaten to burn the Koran, the Muslim holy text. How would many of us feel to watch people burn the Bible for something with which we weren’t directly involved?
Although at first glance, Park51 may seem disrespectful of the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy, the center’s board will include members of other religions and even held a memorial service on Sept. 11. The mosque is not a mockery of the victims of the Twin Towers tragedy, but an attempt to surpass the extreme discrimination by reaching out to the community. Being Muslim does not make one a terrorist, terrorist beliefs and actions do.
America has experienced other terrorist attacks, many of which were committed by Americans. The Oklahoma City bombing was the worst terrorist attack that the country had experienced until Sept. 11. This bombing was the work of American Timothy McVeigh, who was an Irish Catholic, yet no one protested the building of Catholic churches after the bombing. The Cordoba Mosque should not be protested either. If the World Trade Center had been destroyed by Baptists, Methodists, or Catholics, would we still protest the building of a church and community center so adamantly?
It shouldn’t take a tragic event to make us examine our prejudices and discrimination. Every day we discriminate against people for size, color, appearance and association. This is so prevalent in our society, we don’t even know we’re doing it anymore. The staring, pointing and whispers need to end. As a mature society, we should be past this.
As we celebrate Celebrate Freedom Week, we need to consider the freedom on which we were founded. Our actions speak louder than words, and we should be known as the Americans who celebrate freedom, not hypocrisy. Differences make us unique, and the values we instill include equal rights, not the motto of: “It’s OK for us, but not for ‘those’ people.” We should celebrate the fact that our country has such great diversity, and that we are not robotic drones. Freedom is free for all. What we need to learn to examine is our definition of “all”. Celebrate Freedom Week should be exactly what it is–the week to celebrate America’s freedom.