That Darn Constitution

My friend Kate has a blog. She writes this blog, not because she likes to bitch and moan like I do, but because she wanted to hold herself accountable for the 26 things she planned to do during her 26th year. I think this is fantastic and with my 27th birthday just around the corner I started thinking what would be on my list of 27 things would if I made such a list. In true nerd fashion, re-learning the Constitution and its Amendments is actually on this list. I attribute this need to remember my Government ABC’s to a.) the current contentious political climate, b.) personal shame in being certified by the state of Florida to teach history yet unable to remember any of the Amendments past the nineteenth and c.) watching too many re-runs of The West Wing.


It never fails that the minute I focus on something I end up seeing it everywhere. I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and suddenly I started seeing disinterest in or ignorance of the importance of informed consent everywhere. Now, as bizarre as it sounds to be voluntarily studying up on one’s constitutionally given rights, now that I’ve begun I see its pertinence everywhere. Mostly, I’m seeing it in the rhetoric surrounding the building of mosques, both near where the World Trade Center Towers once stood and elsewhere across the country.

I get that the debate surrounding the so called “World Trade Center Mosque” is being waged on two separate levels, emotional and legal. I understand that for thousands of New Yorkers, Ground Zero holds memories of terror, sorrow and loss that I just cannot imagine. To that end it is difficult to classify all those who oppose the building of this mosque under the auspice of being closed minded bigots and xenophobes. Yet it seems that it is not the Lower Manhattan community that is leading the mob against the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has come out adamantly in support of the mosque. Representative Jerrold Nadler, the Congressman who represents the district housing both Ground Zero and the future site of Cordoba House also supports its construction, calling those who single out Muslim-Americans because of their faith “shameful and divisive.” The New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee had the opportunity to block the building by designating the site one of historical significance yet chose (unanimously) not to do so. So if the elected officials (who theoretically represent the people therein) and community boards governing this area are not opposed, who exactly is lighting this fire?

Arguments for the symbolism of the area and the need for sensitivity to the situation are not unreasonable nor have they fallen on deaf ears. Any and all actions and words of the organizers of Cordoba House (and many Muslim-Americans for that matter) to show compassion, unity and solidarity have been dashed as “not enough.” It seems that nothing short of renouncing the Muslim faith would be enough for this crowd.

It seems to me that the debate of whether they should build is one of emotion, while the question of whether they may is based in law. A law that clearly, adamantly and without question mandates that you cannot discriminate based upon religion. In other words you can’t prohibit someone from building a house of worship on public property that has been legally procured. I’ve heard the argument of “anywhere but here” but we can’t pick and choose where we defend religious freedom and where we don’t. In my mind if we do we will become exactly what Al Qaeda believes us to be: pompous, hypocritical and immoral.

Beyond the grey fog that on second thought is simply obfuscating a rather black and white issue, I am struck by the shocking amount of misinformation that is available under the auspices of “news.” After hearing that President Obama is a Fascist AND a Socialist nothing should suprise me, but darned if it do.  I can’t help but think though that when we talk about issues as important as this we should tell the truth, if for no other reason than its hard enough even without having to dispel rumors and correct outright lies. I’ve read that this mosque will be built “on the site” where the Twin Towers once stood and that is not the truth. The future site of the Cordoba House is within 2 city blocks of the World Trade Center but it is also within one block of a Jewish community center and within 3 blocks of a Catholic church. Should we ask these other religious institutions to close their doors because of their proximity to the where the Towers once stood? More disturbingly even than that, which I attribute to the fear-mongering dramatic sensibility of the media, is the description of Islam as a “political movement that’s taking over America.” Accusations like this are terrifying to me because there are people who believe them.

I am not saying that the feelings of survivors and victims of these terrorist attacks should be disregarded, kindness is never wasted. What I’m saying that the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution applies just as well below 14th Street as it does above. I’m saying that the Terrorists who flew those planes in to the Twin Towers killed those in them indiscriminately, Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Atheist alike. I’m repeating Michael Bloomberg and remembering that the thousands of first responders held out their hands to help and never once asked who the victims prayed to. We can’t fight hatred with discrimination and an inability to differentiate between extremism and faith. This is a test of our mettle and we really need to get this right.

See? This is what happens when one reads the Constitution. You start to take what it says seriously.