My Common Sense Solution

Hi Everyone:

Since I am not a DJ, I don't usually take topic requests. But a reader challenged me to figure out a common sense solution to the situation where a mosque might be built close to ground zero. I accept the challenge and here is how I figured out what to do.

In order for me to figure out a common sense solution I must, as always, look at the facts which are as follows:

1) The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees the freedom of religion including practicing and praying where you want.

2) The building in question is the old Burlington Coat Factory building at 45-51 Park Place. The landing gear of one of the planes that hit one of the World Center buildings damaged the top of the building.

3) According to my research, a mosque has a dome roof and a minaret.

4) According to developer Sharif El-Gamal, the owner of the building, he said on record that it is not a mosque but an Islamic cultural (community) center that also has a prayer chapel. I read a description that it would be like an Islamic 92nd street Y.

5) The center would be called Park 51.

6) Depending on how you measure, Ground Zero is 2 to 5 blocks away.

7) The person that would be in charge of the center is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. He has been a trusted ally of the Clinton and G.W. Bush administrations as an Islamic religious leader on behalf of moderate Islam. The Obama administration just sent him overseas for another sanctioned fence mending trip.

8) The Imam stood in the rubble of the World Trade Centers and repudiated the cruel violence unleashed on innocent civilians.

9) The Imam stands for (amongst other things), fence mending and healing, his own words.

10) There are many people who approve of the Cultural Center being built there.

11) There are many people who oppose the Cultural Center being built at that specific location.

12) If the Cultural Center is built at the current location, more probably than not, there will be violence by a few American extremists who are totally against the Center.

So there are the facts that I know about the situation. Now I'm not saying that I have all of the facts, but I believe that I have enough facts to render my common sense solution. First of all, the owner of the building, if all approvals are met, has the right to build there. Secondly, if the center is built, I believe that there will be no peace and violence may occur. Some 9/11 victim's family's may find it totally insensitive. Thirdly, if the Imam is truly serious about his wanting to heal the rift between Islamic and the non-Islamic world, building his center there at that specific sight, would not help the healing process, but would keep the wound, left by 9/11, festering and not in a healing state.

Consequently, even though they may have the legal right to build the center there, my common sense solution based on all of the above would be to not build the cultural center at the Burlington Coat Factory building; but else where in the city. There are lots of of locations that are available and would not be cause for any more needless pain or insensitivity. The Imam then could say that he is indeed a man of healing.

Til next week.