Controversy Over Muslim Cultural Center Near Ground Zero

Racism and bigotry are alive and well in America.

Right wing Americans in high places against freedom of religion, have made extraordinarily bigoted statements against the Muslim Cultural Center in New York City.

(SAN FRANCISCO) - Lost in the shuffle about the protests of building a cultural center near Ground Zero is that a number of Muslims died at the towers that day -- not just the nut cases in the planes -- and that nearly all Muslims adamantly opposed the actions and events that took place on 9/11, and denounced them strongly, saying that the Islamic religion in no way condones it.

The controversy has been inaccurately dubbed the "Ground Zero mosque."

Actually, the building will function as an Islamic cultural center, not a mosque. It will include a prayer room, but not a single-purpose house of worship for Muslims.

Furthermore, the cultural center will not be built at Ground Zero. It will be near Ground Zero.

"Eminent" politicians are jumping on the anti-mosque bandwagon.

Sarah Palin called it a "stab in the heart of the 9/11 families."

Senators Johnny Isakson, Olympia Snowe, and John McCain called the cultural center “insensitive.”

Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani -- the 9/11 saint -- called it "offensive."

And New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio called Iman Feisal Abdul Fauf, the Iman behind building the cultural center "a terrorist-sympathizing Imam."

And that right-wing spokesman, Rush Limbaugh, called the President "Iman-a-bama" for supporting the cultural center.

Unfortunately no one remembers the stately speeches given by President Obama Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner - whitehouse.gov and New York City Mayor Michael Rubens Bloomberg Mayor Bloomberg's Ground Zero Mosque Speech [VIDEO] - aolnews.com

Racism and bigotry are alive and well in America.

Everyone is invited to the "International Burn a Koran Day" hosted by a nondenominational church in Gainesville, Florida, scheduled for the the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Bring the whole family.

Makes one proud to be an American.

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Salem-News.com writer Ralph E. Stone was born in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of both Middlebury College and Suffolk Law School. We are very fortunate to have this writer's talents in this troubling world; Ralph has an eye for detail that others miss. As is the case with many Salem-News.com writers, Ralph is an American Veteran who served in war. Ralph served his nation after college as a U.S. Army officer during the Vietnam war. After Vietnam, he went on to have a career with the Federal Trade Commission as an Attorney specializing in Consumer and Antitrust Law. Over the years, Ralph has traveled extensively with his wife Judi, taking in data from all over the world, which today adds to his collective knowledge about extremely important subjects like the economy and taxation. You can send Ralph an email at this address stonere@earthlink.net