Religious Freedom

Watch out readers, I'm about to go political on you with a side of religion.  This could get ugly!

I'm sure everyone has heard about the Islamic Center that is to be built near the World Trade Center site.  You've heard about all the protesting and all the rallies.  I have to ask, how many of the people there now protesting this center know anything about Islam and it's relation to the terrorist attacks?  Its seems to me that they are confusing Islams with radicals.  Radicals are the ones who took out the Trade centers and the Pentagon and Radicals (many forget this part) are also the ones who have bombed other Muslims.  By bombing Muslims, that sets them apart from other Muslims for it would be counter-productive of them to bomb themselves.

My boyfriend is Muslim and I told him honestly that I was a little scared of his faith, simply because I grew up in a world of 9/11.  I always hated those who held a prejudice towards anyone of the darker skin.  It angered me to hear others speak of "towel heads" like they were all responsible.  That said, I always feared the religion simply because I felt it held a lot of power over it's followers.  I thought for a long time that those who partook in the attacks were drawn into it by their religion.  That Osama looked at them and said that it was their duty as believers in Mohamed.  I told this to my boyfriend and he wasn't offended or mad.  He simply looked at me and explained that those who were responsible for the terrorist attacks were bad Muslims.  "They look down on other Muslims because they think that in some way, they are better Muslims than the rest of us.  That they have a better faith and understanding of the religion. That they are special and deserve to be treated as such."  He also told me that they are easy to spot!  They are the ones who look snidely at other Muslims at the Mosque.  (I can think of many Christians who have done the same thing!) 

When ever something like this happens, one really has to ask, do we really have religious freedom?  Sure we can believe whatever we want, the Constitution says so.  But the Constitution doesn't keep us from holding prejudice against those who are different in their religion.  We pity those who are different because they don't know that they are in the wrong religion but who is to say what is the right religion?  I don't understand why there has to be a "right" religion (That question is for you boyfriend)?  When you really get down to it, and look simply at the religious aspect (not the practice of the religions) the main difference between Christianity and Islam is, they believe that Jesus was a prophet, not the son of God.  They don't denounce his importance just his title.  Realistically none of us can say whether or not he was the son of God.  The Bible says that we are all God's children, what if the Bible, by calling him the son of God, just meant that he was one of us,  another child of God?  The main point of this is not to question Jesus as the son of God or as a prophet.  My point is that they believe in God just like any Baptist, Jew, Mormon, Moravian, Purists, Catholic, and even Satan worshipers.  There really is no religious difference just religious practice.  Why can't that be seem as something beautiful?  Whats important is to have a belief and have faith.

 Anyways, the point is in reality, how much religious freedom do we have?  If Muslims, who were already part of the community when the attacks happened and when many worked in both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, can't build a center to celebrate their religious freedom two blocks from the northern edge of the 16 acre WTC site, which is still half a dozen New York blocks from the edge of the North Tower, then what religious freedom does anyone have?  When they wrote the Constitution, did they mean religious freedom if we all like the particular religion?  No it does not.

Gingrich was quoted saying, "Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center."  Does anyone else see they extreme problem with this statement?  The Nazis, as a whole, where responsible for the Holocaust.  The group known as the Nazis, began and carried out the Holocaust.  You wouldn't say no to a German convention center near Holocaust Museum in Washington.  The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  The war lords decided to force America into the fight and sent bombers to Pearl Harbor.  You still wouldn't say no to a Kabuki Theatre in Hawaii!  The Nazis and the Japanese are not even an example of religion!!!  The Radical Terrorist happen to be Muslim they were not Muslim Terrorist, there is a big difference.  The religion that the terrorist are is not what makes them terrorist.  If that were true then my boyfriend would have to be a terrorist and trust me people, I am not that desperate.