The Ground Zero Mosque

What a difference a few months make. Since my last post, Christopher Hitchens has been diagnosed with throat cancer and the tenants of Islam are suddenly part of the public discourse via the Ground Zero Mosque.

The news of Mr. Hitchens' illness depresses the hell out of me. I am hoping he beats it and continues to challenge the religious wingnuts for many years to come.

In regards to the mosque, however, I'm rather conflicted. Since I'm a "person of color" myself, it's probably my natural inclination to lean left and support cultural relativism, tolerance and all those other liberal slogans. While my position on cultural relativism has entirely reversed itself in recent years, I can't help but feel a lingering sense of guilt for abandoning the underdog and joining the wolf pack.

There are two nagging questions that continue to haunt me when I think about the mosque debate; and they are as follows:

1. How would I feel if it was a church or synagogue being built instead of an Islamic "religious center"?

2. Do I really believe the mosque will directly or indirectly lead to some act of terrorism?

At this point, these are my answers:

1. I would not give two shits.

2. No, I do not. And if this is what fuels my ill-will towards the mosque, I may as well go on a crusade to shut down all the other mosques in the city.

Let's face it: the mosque is being built because there's obviously a demand for it. And that's where the "problem" ultimately lies. Those of us who are irked by the Ground Zero Mosque should be focusing our attentions towards nixing the need for these types of woo-woo religious centers and increase the demand for knowledge and wisdom that only comes from an open mind and the letting go of antiquated ideologies -- and this is precisely why we need Hitch to stick around.