People ran for their lives after the first booming sound erupted and filled the air. They knew something was not right. When the second thunderous sound crashed into their ears, panic set in. No, this is not the story of the horrific atrocity that occurred on September 11, 2001. This was the beginning of Pearl Harbor. That which occurred on 9-11 was very different from December 7, 1941 but from the description above, many will see extreme similarities.
How many Japanese or German Americans made attempts to establish culturally sensitive facilities during the 1940’s?
The only mega German and Japanese social structures created during the Second World War were internment camps. These camps were filled with Japanese and German Americans. These camps were horrific and inhumane yet arguably construed as an evil necessity for National Security reasons during the time. We were at war and U.S. intelligence knew that the heartland of the United States was infiltrated with foreign enemy spies, saboteurs, and sympathizers.
During World War II, the U.S. took no chance of allowing domestic attacks to result while our heroes fought abroad against our enemies.
Today, internment camps do not exist for those who follow cultural and social similarities of the enemy our military men and women fight. The United States understands that not all persons with similar cultural and social values are enemies to the State. While they may follow the same religion, the great majority of Muslims within the United States are warm, loving, and caring persons.
Needless to say, there are many groups of Muslim Americans who believe America as a whole is not being tolerant enough to their desires and wants. Today, these Muslims want to build a mosque in the immediate vicinity of Ground Zero. A great majority of these Muslims are first and second generation Americans. Neither they nor their families ever lived inside the United States during World War II. They lack fundamental knowledge of what our country had done to the Japanese and German Americans living in this country. They lack realities as to how good they truly have it living inside the United States today.
Muslims in America have used specific terminology like “tolerance” when they articulate their desires to build the Cordoba Mosque. America has been socially and politically castrated catering to their desires. Our grandparents would never have allowed a Japanese shrine to be built inside the United States during World War II and they surely would have never allowed a similar piece of infrastructure built with German significance.
We are still in a war where our American patriotic heroes face austere conditions being targeted by Muslim extremists throughout Africa, the Middles East, and Central Asia. We have advisors and special operators deep inside East Asia and the Pacific fighting the same ideological enemy. Many have lost their lives leaving their friends, children, and other family members behind.
Muslim Americans want us to be “tolerant” to their needs. Sadly, we have been more than just tolerant. We have catered to their wishes time and time again. They fail to understand how wonderful life is here inside the United States as many continually push to replace our own U.S. Constitution and implement Sharia Law. It is likely they have never spoken to a survivor of American Internment camp victims. They push and push for what they want like a child in a toy store. Despondently, our politically castrated leaders continue to cater to American Muslims while those of us in mourning procure enhancements of post-traumatic stress.
The United States has witnessed time and time again attacks from our enemies. We have instituted different measures to protect this great nation after every horrific attack, except for today.
Today, we have allowed followers of the same ideological belief of our own enemies to freely move and build their own agendas. We have been socially conditioned believing tolerance is a “one way streak.” Where is their tolerance? How tolerant are the Muslim Americans wanting this Mosque at Ground Zero? They know there are numerous Mosques already built and established throughout New York City. The fact is, while you believe we need to be more tolerant, they are being less. We have been politically and socially castrated towards the reality of tolerance.
Kerry Patton served in the U.S. Defense and Justice departments, and as a contractor within the Homeland Security and State departments. He has worked in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe, focusing on intelligence and security interviewing current and former terrorists, including members of the Taliban. He is the author of “Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies.” Currently, Mr. Patton teaches for Henley Putnam University and is the Northeast Regional Director for Stand Up America www.standupamericaus.com.