Can you imagine back in 1950 if there had been an effort by Japanese-Americans to build a Shinto center honoring Emperor Hirohito just two blocks from Pearl Harbor? Furthermore, imagine that the building was planned to open on December 7, 1951 just in time to celebrate the 10th year anniversary of this cataclysmic attack. Faster than you can say “Tora Tora Tora,” one can hardly contemplate the absurdity of such a plan.
Fast forward to now and imagine the family of Timothy McVeigh. They have plans to build a 13-story addition to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, which opened in 2001, where the Murrah Federal Building once stood. The family would like to commemorate McVeigh’s life and help foster understanding and tolerance to those who hate the Federal Government— in hopes that a future domestic terrorist would visit the McVeigh Wing and decide against blowing up a federal building killing 168 innocents like McVeigh did on April 19, 1995.
The perfect timing for the construction of this wing the family says would be April 19, 2015 the twentieth anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I am sure the city council and the Mayor of Oklahoma City would vote a resounding NO.
You know where I am going with this.
On September 12, 2001 do you think anyone in New York City could imagine that nine years later a mosque would be approved at 45 Park Place, to be completed in time for the tenth year anniversary of 9/11? One would guess not. This building’s address, by the way, is where a landing gear fell through the roof from one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Towers.
So I would like to ask the members of the Lower Manhattan Community Board Landmark Commission who voted to move the mosque building forward to remember, really remember, what that horrible day felt like almost nine years ago. It appears political correctness has wiped clean their memory banks.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf the leader of the effort to build the Cordoba House (Cordoba is a Spanish city where a victorious Muslim army destroyed a church in the year 785, building
The Great Mosque of Cordoba in its place) has yet to disclose how this $100 million, 13-story mosque, complete with fitness center, pool, classrooms, kitchen, performance theater and extra prayer space is going to be financed.
Or rather, from which nation(s) the money will be secretly forthcoming.
Do you think there is any chance the Saudis might take the profits from a half day of oil sales and write a check in memory of the 15 Saudi high-jackers (out of 19) who sacrificed their lives for Allah? That would be PERFECT because according to the mosque site developer
Sharif El-Gamal there will be “a September 11th memorial and contemplation space” within the building. Doesn’t that make you feel warm, fuzzy and more tolerant towards Cordoba House?
So with tolerance in mind and to refresh the memories of those city leaders who approved this project, I have a suggestion for the Imam and Mr. El-Gamal— how about carving into the marble foyer walls, the names of all 2,750 people who died just two blocks north? Then, how about running continuous 9/11 television footage on HUGE screens built into the marble. (I presume for $100 million the foyer walls will be marble.)
Wait there is more — how about lining all the hallways, including the prayer space with a permanent display of 9/11 photos. How about dedicating the entire Cordoba House to September 11, 2001 with these words carved over the front door:
“NEVER will hate be taught in this mosque and never again in any mosque on the planet.”
For the people of New York City to permit a mosque to be built on the hallowed ground made hallow by the perversion of Islam, (and that perversion still continues in many mosques all over the world and to some degree even here in the United States) is what makes America great. Unfortunately, no matter how many mosques are built in America the Great, we will still be known as “The Great Satan” in wide swaths of the Muslim world.
Myra Adams is a media producer, writer and political observer. Her media clients have included national associations, political interest groups and corporations. She served on the McCain Ad Council during the 2008 McCain campaign. Myra’s web site TheJesusStore.com contributes all profits to Christian charity.