essay hypothetical 2011 vsb

8/6/2019 Essay Hypothetical 2011 Vsb

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To Build, or Not to Build: That is the Question.

The Muslim Religious Center proposed to be built near Ground Zero in New York City

has caused an uproar far beyond expectations. Many people opposed to the construction of the

center are families of victims injured or killed in 9-11. However, the First Amendment of the

United States Constitution reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of

religion, of prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the

press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a

redress of grievances. My parents took a first amendment case all the way to the Supreme Court

and won by unanimous vote; my mother being the defendant and my father her lawyer. The first

amendment should never be overlooked by anyone, no matter what the reason.

The chief conflict in the building of the center is the mere fact that it is near Ground Zero.

America is supposedly the land of the free, not to mention the birthplace of religious freedom,

so what is the harm in building this center under Lady Libertys imposing shadow? The issue is

that we dont trust people. Its true, although well deny it, we usually judge everyone we meet.

Gone are the assumptions that humanity is basically good. Television and news reports have

changed that. The second someone walks into view, without even knowing it, you are sizing

them up, noticing their clothes, shoes, hair, skin color. And lets face it- if you need to know

what time it is and you lost your cell phone, watch, or whatever you usually use to check the

hour, who are you going to ask- the nice white lady in the business suit, clutching a briefcase as

she searches for a seat on the metro, or the Muslim woman in the corner, quietly reading her

book? You contemplate asking the Muslim woman, but then you remember 9-11 and timidly

inch your cowardly way over to the white lady sitting primly on the edge of her seat.


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Yes, it would be two blocks away from Ground Zero, and that protestor proudly bearing

the sign that reads Mosque at Ground Zero is the Monument to Terrorism might as well hold

up a poster board with Hi, Im Racist, Nice to Meet You painted across it in big, bold red

capital letters, because really, thats what this is. Its not just that we dont trust people;its that

we dont trust ethnic people. By ethnic I mean anyone is not of the same race. Im not saying that

everyone is racist. No, there are many, many wonderful individuals out there who welcome all

people into their hearts, nor am I saying that everyone who is racist is a horrible human being,

but they have quite a misunderstanding of others. What if you had been born a different ethnicity

than you are? Think about how drastically different your everyday life would be.

I definitely support the building of the Muslim center. The fact that it is only a short walk

away from ground zero is a good thing. Maybe it will open peoples eyes to the fact that race

doesnt matter. Some people argue that the reason this project is so forcefully being pushed out

of the way of our obviously already perfect world has nothing to do with race or religion at all.

There are the issues of traffic increase, and the extremecost of building the center, not to mention

that it would be ideally located, no-doubt, onsome of the most highly sought out land in the Big

Apple.

The Jewish mayor of New York, Michael Bloombergapproves of the center being built,

stating, "The ability to practice your religion is ... one of the real reasons America was

founded."President Barack Obama also supports the construction of the center, saying Muslims

have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. 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. This is America, and our commitment to religious


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freedom must be unshakable. Some relatives of victims killed in the September 11 attacks

agreed with President Obamas opinions.

Having a center like this in New York City would be a fantastic way to create a united

community not only for Muslims, but for people of all religions.The center is in many ways a

fitting tribute, observed Colleen Kelly, who suffered through the loss of her brother in the 9-11

attacks."This is the voice of Islam that I believe needs a wider audience," declared Kelly, who

happens to be Catholic. "This is what moderate Islam is all about."

essay hypothetical 2011 vsb

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