Obama Supports the Ground Zero Mosque

Never forget.  Never forgive.

According to the media, President Barack Obama has now offered his support for the highly controversial project to build a mosque near Ground Zero. This in the face of opposition from the families of 9/11 victims and a majority of all Americans.  In prepared remarks at a White House dinner marking the Islamic holiday of Ramadan he stated, “I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country.   And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”  

Obama once again shows a complete insensitivity towards the people of the United States.  It was not long ago that he was roundly criticized for his studied non-participation in the National Day of Prayer and his Regime offered the tepid excuse that he preferred to pray privately rather than make it an official public event.  That is acceptable on its face as not every President has participated in every National Day of Prayer during their term.  What is disturbing, however, is that while he would not take part in an event that has come to represent America’s Christian heritage, albeit with the ecumenical inclusion of all faiths as is appropriate given our fundamental belief in the freedom of worship, he turns around and hosts an official dinner celebrating the beginning of Ramadan, a purely Islamic religious celebration.  The question that is begged is why one and not the other?  And why does he use the occasion to again slap the face of the American people?  It appears that he strives to insult and divide rather than lead and heal.  

With his injection of the presidency into an issue that is purely local in its scope–he has a penchant for doing so as demonstrated amply by the Cambridge affair–he has unnecessarily and quite stupidly taken a position in opposition to the feelings of a majority of the American public.  Better had he kept his mouth shut for the citizens of this country have an absolute right to oppose the building of a mosque at that location; but nobody is saying that Muslims cannot practice their religion freely or build a multi-story mosque somewhere else.  What the people are saying is that erecting a towering mosque in the shadows of Ground Zero is an arrogant affront.  It is exceedingly poor judgment and insulting to the victims, their families and all Americans given that the destruction of the Twin Towers was the work of Islamic terrorists bent on destroying the American way of life and imposing Islam and Shari'ah law.  This is not the way to start a dialogue nor is it a way to favorably showcase moderate Islam.  It is a way, however, to provide a symbol of victory to those in the Islamic world who thirst for the destruction of the United States and there is no doubt that it will be viewed as exactly that.  It is the Islamic equivalent of raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi:  The battle is not over but it will have a positive effect on the morale of those Islamists engaged in the battle.  

Obama has clearly indicated that his avowed inclusiveness when it comes to reaching out the Islamic world is an inclusiveness that purposely excludes a majority of Americans.  It is a position that not only shows a total lack of sensitivity to those from whom he derives his authority but an arrogance that will not be forgotten in 2012.  The President should be very sure on this one point:  We the People will not forget either 9/11 or his disgraceful failure to listen to and represent the will of the people.