Should a Muslim community center be built near the location of 9/11 where so many americans lost their lives?

Pro By Rachel Youmans

In an abandoned Burlington Coat Factory building two blocks away from the site of the 9/11 attacks, an Islamic cultural center is being built.

This has been a sensitive point for a lot of people; politicians have openly opposed the project, and protests began almost immediately after the project was announced.

You see, they have the right to do that. It’s right there in the Bill of Rights:

“Congress shall make no law respecting the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”

In other words, the government won’t stop people from protesting, as long as it isn’t violent. The Bill of Rights protects the rights of American citizens. It’s what makes our country so great; it’s the reason we are able to say what we want without fearing repercussions from the government.

Do you know what else is in the Bill of Rights?

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

This is the beginning of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is short and to the point; it does not list any exceptions. The Bill of Rights does not read “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion as long as we’re happy with that group.” It would completely defeat the purpose.

You might think it’s ridiculous for an Islamic building to be built so close to the site of a religion-based tragedy.

You might think it’s offensive.

You might want nothing better than for the project to be stopped.

But you need to realize this: the day the government violates our freedom of religion, one of the most important foundations of our country, is the day Americans have lost every right we have. At that point every American’s rights have been rendered completely invalid.

Con By Jake McQuiggan

On Sept. 11th, 2001, America witnessed one of the world’s most horrific acts of terrorism ever. I can still remember the terror the Nation felt as we watched the World Trade Center fall.  Nearly 2,800 people lost their lives in that tragic event due to a group of Islamic extremists.

Now Park 51 is planning to build their own community center estimated at $100 million dollars, according to the New York Post. Out of all the places in the big city of New York, does the center really need to go there?

It is not the religion and it is not the Islamic people in the center that is the problem. It’s the fact that it is being built so close to the memorial. The memorial is there to remember those that died in the events of 9/11 and should not be disturbed.

I don’t think any religious building should be built so close to something so precious to others out of moral respect. In a poll from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, 52 percent of the respondents don’t want the mosque, while 31 percent favor it, and 71 percent is left undecided. The families of the 9/11 victims do not want the center built so close to the memorial. The terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center and left these poor people without family members were Islamic, and an Islamic Community Center so close to the site of that tragedy will only pour salt on old wounds.

I understand that religious freedom should be protected and that every person in America has the right to practice whatever they want.  But I just don’t think that it is fair to the families of 9/11 to build it so close to something that is so dear to them. I am not saying that the center should not be built, I just think that it should be built farther away for the sake of others.

n Sept. 11th, 2001, America witnessed one of the world’s most horrific acts of terrorism ever. I can still remember the terror the Nation felt as we watched the World Trade Center fall.  Nearly 2,800 people lost their lives in that tragic event due to a group of Islamic extremists.

Now Park 51 is planning to build their own community center estimated at $100 million dollars, according to the New York Post. Out of all the places in the big city of New York, does the center really need to go there?

It is not the religion and it is not the Islamic people in the center that is the problem. It’s the fact that it is being built so close to the memorial. The memorial is there to remember those that died in the events of 9/11 and should not be disturbed.

I don’t think any religious building should be built so close to something so precious to others out of moral respect. In a poll from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, 52 percent of the respondents don’t want the mosque, while 31 percent favor it, and 71 percent is left undecided. The families of the 9/11 victims do not want the center built so close to the memorial. The terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center and left these poor people without family members were Islamic, and an Islamic Community Center so close to the site of that tragedy will only pour salt on old wounds.

I understand that religious freedom should be protected and that every person in America has the right to practice whatever they want.  But I just don’t think that it is fair to the families of 9/11 to build it so close to something that is so dear to them. I am not saying that the center should not be built, I just think that it should be built farther away for the sake of others.