World Trade Center Mosque Commentary
August 24th, 2010 | Back to Blog Listing
I'm fucking exhausted of listening to all of the bullshit that's being spewed left and right about this whole mosque debate. On the right we have a bunch of bigoted assholes, with absolutely no respect for legal process or property rights and all of whom appear gravely confused as to what this war is allegedly for that we're fighting. But on the left, we've got a bunch of hipsters trying to advocate for the rights of a group that they couldn't disagree more with. And I'd be all for that if their view was at least consistent. But I guarantee next time some other close-minded conservative group needs help, they're not going to be there. This is fashionable protesting in my opinion and is just ludicrous.

I tried to make my writings on the matter a bit less opinionated.



Full text of the video clip below:

Over the past several weeks I have been quietly enjoying this debate over the "World Trade Center Mosque". To me personally, this is nothing more than a property rights issue and provided the organization legally owns the land and conforms to the local building codes, they're completely within their right and there are no certainly complaints from me.

While I'm in no way surprised at the reactions coming from the right, I wish I could say that I was surprised at the reactions coming from the left and wanted to explore this confusion.

I know that the poetic diction of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow is mentally invigorating, but they're both paid to appease an audience and you're not a "news commentator". In short, this mosque is a complete contradiction of the left's own guiding principles.

Let me very quickly illustrate what I mean.

Islam is a western religion just like Christianity. It uses arbitrary rules to control its congregation and promises a bountiful afterlife if these rules are adhered to. Meanwhile, it basks in its own wealth and just like other churches, has virtually no regulatory oversight, and pays absolutely no taxes in our country.

So let's consider some basic social issues. Much like its common Christian counterpart, Islam is openly against any freedom of abortion, condemns any form of promiscuity, and strongly opposes homosexuality - in some cases even to the penalty of death in other countries.

You may have recently read how a Saudi Arabian court, under non-secular Sunni Islam law, sought to medically sever a man's spine in retribution for him paralyzing another man two years earlier with a knife. This is the same non-secular system of government that justifies the stoning of raped women in the name of honor. And mind you, this is not mob rule. This is religion, affecting government, attempting to carry out unspeakable acts against other human beings, all in the good name of God.

Let's consider some financial issues. Think about all the poor starving children, diseased nations, and uneducated African villages that could benefit from a 100 million dollars worth of charity. I know you believe they should be helped, but I guess it's better that a few thousand people practice religion in comfort than a few hundred thousand get the chance at basic survival. Of course, this is very consistent with the thinking of western religion, for example: the Vatican.

Also, do you have any idea what the tax revenue on a $100 million dollar building in the financial district of Manhattan is worth? Since this is a Mosque, presumably it’s nothing. Which is unfortunate considering social services such as food banks, homeless shelters, and public HEAHTLCARE centers are in dire need of funding.

Let me be clear. I have absolutely no prejudice for Muslims at all. Rather, I have contempt for anyone - Christian, Jew, Muslim, or otherwise - that would use their faith to interfere with the lives of others while wasting money on divine opulence.

So, my argument is not suggesting you should or should not give your support to this building. Rather it is suggesting that the only reason you ARE giving your support is because of the age-old proverb that "the enemy of your enemy is your friend". Basically that just because the political-right is opposed to this Mosque, you naturally support it.

Where is your compassion for the Christian right lobbying against gay marriage? ...or condemning abortion? ...or wanting to ban contraceptives? ...or, the list goes on. The simple reality is that like it or not, you do not agree with one SINGLE philosophy that this organization has to offer.

Imagine the wonderful irony that would exist if Christians and Muslims ever figured out that they opposed the same social ideologies that liberals fight so hard for. My guess is that you'd be far less willing to support them then.

That's not to suggest you should be out there denouncing their plight, but it sure seems strikingly hypocritical to openly support it.

To conclude, you simply can't have it both ways. You can't openly condemn one religion spreading their ideas against social norms, but then turn right around and speak in favor of an otherwise identically conservative religious ideology attempting to do the same thing, just because it happens to be in the minority.

Thank you.