What people fail to realize is that it wasn't Islam or Muslims that were responsible for the attack on 9/11. People think that because some crazy person calls his crazy actions the will of his God, then it must be true. Well, in fact, these people do not follow a word of Islam. People need to know more about who they are pointing the finger at. Those men who did what they did, did it because they were told a horrible lie and believed it. It is not the fault of Muslims that this happened. I've talked to others who say they would not ever dream of condoning such actions. True Muslims are very peaceful and caring people. The fact is that Americans are not educated properly about the difference between an act of terror and an act that is sanctioned by religion.
I think that a Mosque and Islamic Center built there is an act of compassion for what happened. The people who want to build it must feel that this misunderstanding really must come to an end and so are offering the chance to build a place where people can educate themselves on the matter of Islam. I converted 4 months ago and have found only peace and compassion from those who I've asked about Islam. Even before I converted, I talked to Muslims who were always very kind and easy with me. Never once did they call me names or tell me I was doomed to hell or anything like that. They simply accepted me for who I was and helped me to learn more. I feel that even if you don't wish to convert, you should at least speak to Muslims and learn about what they think and feel about this. This is supposed to be a free country.
I see a Christian church around every corner. But how many Mosques do I see? I would have to specifically look up the location and travel at least 20 miles to find one. I really think there should be many many more Mosques built so that the resident Muslims don't have to travel so so far to reach a place of prayer. And I can assure that there is no more beautiful sound then the Azzan, or Call to Prayer. To hear a human voice singing to the public, asking them to come and pray is a beautiful thing. Not even church bells are more beautiful. I think the building of this Mosque would be a good thing.
I was in a store the other night and two ignorant teenagers saw me and made a whistling sound like a bomb dropping. I wasn't offended so much as I felt pity for their ignorance. Here I am and American woman, and they are making these ignorant noises just to satisfy their own feelings when they don't even know anything at all about me, Islam, or anything else. It makes me wonder what their parents teach them.
One day I hope they step out of their little box and look into what they are doing, which is facilitating ignorance.