The Muslim Center in NYC – 2010-08-30

What do you think about the proposed building of an Islamic centre near the site of the destroyed Twin Towers in New York City?

Personally I’m not against it. I do understand the visceral sentiment behind the objection. But we in the West are a tolerant and forgiving people. We are generally rational and understand that we can’t blame every German for Hitler’s atrocities, nor every Muslim for 9-11.

However that brings up another question. While we give tolerance and understanding – do we receive it?

How many Mosques and Islamic schools are there in our major cities? Now ask how many Churches and Synagogues are there in Muslim cities?

The situation in Turkey is instructive. The Greek Orthodox Church has been in Istanbul Turkey, since shortly after the death of Christ. There are about 300 million Greek Orthodox Christians in the world, and their major Church in Istanbul was built about 1000 years before the Vatican in Rome. Orthodox Christians have counted Istanbul as their equivalent of the Vatican for nearly 2000 years.

At the turn of the last century there were nearly two million Orthodox Christians in Turkey. But three-quarters of them were expelled in 1923, and another 150,000 left after violent anti-Christian riots in Istanbul in 1955. Today, in all of Turkey, there are only about 4,000 Orthodox Christians remaining. And they are not permitted to train NEW priests because their religious colleges and schools have been closed by government order.

In short, while the government of Turkey has been very vocal in asking that Muslims be given civil rights in Western nations, it has for decades been restricting the rights of Christians and others within its own borders, and is clearly trying to eliminate them by attrition. And Turkey is not the only Muslim country to behave in this manner.

So is it a good idea for us to allow an Islamic Centre in New York City near the 9-11 site? I still think it is. We need to INTEGRATE Muslims - and all religious groups - into our society – not isolate and alienate them. This is our best defence against radical Muslim Fundamentalism and anti-Western sentiment. When we are both neighbors and friends with peaceful local Muslims, we have much more assurance that they won’t be receptive to the words of the fanatics and radicals.

New Yorkers will never forget 9-11, and they shouldn’t be expected to forgive the people behind it. But showing respect and welcoming to people who had nothing to do with it would be a testament to this great city’s heart and unbreakable spirit.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/05/60minutes/main6747019.shtml?tag=currentVideoInfo;segmentTitle