Obama backs Mosque

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/32y7twg

Are Barack Hussein Obama Muslim roots beginning to show through?

http://tinyurl.com/322jjdx

[naomi24]

^^Having said that I'm not sure planning permission would be so readily granted today. I have my doubts.

[123everton]

Is it a Mosque or an Islamic study centre?
I don't see what all the fuss is about, it was an attack on America (not Christianity), by foreign nationals averse to many aspects of American foreign policy.
You'd have to be quite dim (or George Bush) to view 9/11 as a purely religious event.
I think a fifth of Egypt's population is Christian, which will partly explain the plethora of Churches, and also it's secular government.

[EngTeach]

Though we have religious freedom and I am thankful to live in a diverse area (sometimes) I believe an attack on America is, to a point, an attack on Christianity. I am not not a conservative, but the country was founded on Christian principles.

[Coobeastie]

Founded on Christian principles...what killing all the natives and stealing their land?

[123everton]

American history is nothing more than a white wash.
Look at the Trans Pacific Rail Road (the Central Pacific section) was built largely by the Chinese.
The east couldn't care less about our freedoms or our democracy, they're concerned by the effects our foreign policies have on them, historically and now.
Bin Laden's political aims are to get American (and others) military bases out of Saudi Arabia, his religious ideology is focussed (like most aspects of fundamentalism) on other Muslims, Kasmiri Muslims (for instance) would find life very different and very difficult under the Wahabi creed.

[modeller]

The Americans not only enjoy ( if that is the correct word ) religious freedom they are brainwashed by religion . So much so that several of my American 'atheist friends ' still expect religion to be part of their lives. An atheist friend of mine died last year but his family still gave him a relgious send off which they genuinely thought was secular.
In a survey last year 96% of the Americans said they believe in a God . It is a part of their mindset.
Maybe EngTeach would like to comment .Please note I haven't mentioned any particular religion. They are all the same to me. So I may be considered biased.

[THECORBYLOON]

I understand it will be a community centre including a mosque. When a local board voted in favour of its being built, the vote was 29-1 in favour, did they all have Muslim roots too, aog?

[EngTeach]

Where is my post? I wrote a very long response and now it is missing.....This happened to me the other day too. :(

[naomi24]

Maybe it was too long, EngTeach. If it happens again, click on 'submit answer' again and it will reappear. Best to type long responses into a Word document, then split them up before copying and pasting into AB.

[EngTeach]

Thanks.

[123everton]

AOG, if you and the Americans are that bothered about it, why (after ten years) haven't they built a Church there?

[sandyRoe]

A garden of rememberance should have been constructed there. Or is the land too valuable?

[naomi24]

I think a nice memorial is being built at Ground Zero Sandy. The area under discussion is two or three blocks away.

If this is seen as insensitive, that's understandable, so perhaps it would be better to keep religion out of it altogether and use the space for a commercial building.