Freedom of speech and freedom of religion
clash: A battle over
whether to allow a Muslim community center with
a mosque has
become part of America's mid-term elections.
La Opinion de Zemora, Spain
The Cordoba House and 'Hussein of Yankeeland'
"Gaffes like Obama's,
who unnecessarily and inopportunely interposed himself as a mediator in the
controversy over Cordoba House, are grave, since they provoke an outcry from
deep within the American heartland and even reverberate outside. Moreover,
what is doubtlessly more acutely felt by the Democratic leader, is that they
give arguments - valuable and free - to his Republican challengers."
Feisal Abdul Rauf, executive director of the Cordoba Initiative, has traveled the world to talk to moderate Muslims on behalf of the U.S. State Department. He now finds himself ensconsed in a fierce battle to prevent his initiative from being completed.
It is sometimes difficult to be credible as an impartial
voice. Of course, Obama’s declaration in defense of freedom of religion, which
should be observed anywhere people worship, is a universal principle. On the
other hand, it's obvious that a great portion of the world doesn't accept or practice
it, this portion being precisely the Islamic nations. One should make it clear:
tolerance, in order to be real, fair and effective, must be reciprocal. There
is something wrong with a system based on tolerance of others while it remains
intolerant; one that enjoys unlimited freedom to extend itself and simultaneously
prevent, even with violent means, the propagation and exercise of all others. In
fact, there's no attempt to hide the desired objective: in time, everyone will
become Muslim. The argument is so simple that it may even have occurred to
Obama’s enemies. In principle, the project to build “Cordoba House,”
a symbol to some of the peaceful coexistence of cultures, would seem appropriate.
But suspicion is inevitable when one suspects that it would be a center of
Islamic evangelism, located in an area of the city where 3,000 Americans dies
as victims of fundamentalist terrorism.
[Editor's Note: The
name of the community center, the Cordoba House, is meant to invoke Cordoba,
Spain, between the 8th and 11th centuries, where Muslims, Christians and Jews
are said to have co-existed peacefully.]
Considering the circumstances, one must recognize that this
is not an appropriate place for such a project. On the other hand, someone like
the inflexible Sarah Palin might ask: who can guarantee that such a religious-cultural
center will indeed be a school for tolerance? The Catholic Church proclaimed
religious freedom in its Second Vatican Council,
which was a transcendent event for the entire world; Islam has so far failed to
respond.
President Obama's rash statement created no small commotion -
a scandalous uproar that has obliged him to dot his "i's." But the
rectification of remarks is not such an unusual task for this galactic
politician, as he is perceived here. As will be demonstrated, the rectification
was dictated by the same overriding consideration: fear of the electorate.
The believer has a clear antidote for the temptations
leading him astray; the politician must act knowingl that tomorrow his fate will be decided
in the voting booth, so before making a decision, he reins in his impulses: he's
more afraid of “how people vote” than of “what people say.” Obama urgently
reconsidered what he said during the dinner for Ramadan and has, in a way, rectified
his comments; because the issue could cost him votes in the next election. It
must be said of voters who reject the president’s support for building the
controversial mosque, this will inevitably be a fateful test.
They say that the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama continues
to lose momentum. It has yet to be demonstrated that his electrifying triumph
was just a creation of the media, the political establishment and money. He
must have done something right to receive such sincere and enthusiastic
accolades within and without the most powerful nation on earth.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
But the
Obama phenomenon, since his appearance at the pinnacle of global politics, has lost much
of its power in a very short period of time. Gaffes like this, unnecessarily and
inopportunely interposing himself as a mediator in the controversy over Cordoba
House, are grave, since they provoke an outcry from deep within the American
heartland and even reverberate outside. Moreover, what is
doubtlessly more acutely felt by the Democratic Party leader, is that they give
arguments - valuable and free - to his Republican challengers.
