"Ground Zero Mosque" - What ‘s Wrong With What’s Going On

Here’s what ‘s wrong with what’s going on about the “Ground Zero Mosque.” 

The State, so far – and the Marooned Astronaut hates having to keep adding that caveat – has done nothing to bar the Park 51 project, so that’s not the problem. Only someone who was one taco short of a combination platter would think the bigots who have always been vocally distrustful of Muslim’s wouldn’t weigh in on the dark side of this groundless (not even Ground Zero) controversy. So, as ugly as those hate mongers are upon the ear, it’s not that either.

It’s the people and organizations who usually act as protectors of and advocates for tolerance, civil liberties and basic human rights, but who now have come down on the wrong side of this thing that make me shiver, and should make us all tread lightly. I’m speaking about a number of individuals I know personally and some public figures and institutions I have observed in the media.  I will use one (to me the most chilling example) to illustrate my point of concern.

The Anti Defamation League.  The ADL is an outspoken watchdog organization, who has for decades vigilantly fought anti-Semitism and stood unflaggingly at the side of any group who is victimized by, or is prone to fall prey to, social injustice based upon race, religion, creed, etc.

Until now.

Back on July 28 of this year, they weighed in ( http://www.adl.org/PresRele/CvlRt_32/5820_32.htm ), firmly and clearly, with their take on the wisdom and propriety of the Park 51 project.  They said, “… ultimately this is not a question of rights, but a question of what is right. In our judgment, building an Islamic Center in the shadow of the World Trade Center will cause some victims more pain - unnecessarily - and that is not right,” and that, "… the controversy which has emerged regarding the building of an Islamic Center at this location is counterproductive to the healing process."

Even as they decried how, “…the bigotry some have expressed in attacking [the folks behind Park 51] is unfair, and wrong,” they parroted the propaganda of those very bigots, saying, “we are mindful that some legitimate questions have been raised about who is providing the funding to build it...”  No.  This is demonstrably not the case, and (so) not the point.  It is a bigot’s talking point.

There are lots of clever ways to punch holes in their statement. One could argue, yes, it is true: “It is not right that Park 51 cause victims more pain,” meaning that victims don’t have a right to feel pain at seeing Park 51. But I never would do that. An old friend once told me, (Maxim #18) “You can’t help what you like.”  And you can’t help what causes you emotional pain (generally speaking). So I can’t say that victims MUST NOT feel pain when they see an Islamic Center in the vicinity of Ground Zero, or anywhere. I might suggest that pain at seeing such an establishment is misplaced. But I would never deny their pain, its inherent validity, nor their right to feel it.

But I could never condone it preventing a community of peaceful fellow Americans from legally installing a facility wherein they intend to engage in their culture and observe their religion freely. 

I’m just one guy. People who argue against Park 51 on these grounds of avoiding pain for victims of 9/11 are wrong, and it is my choice to tell them so.  The ADL is an organization.  Unlike me, it doesn’t have a choice where to come down on such issues. It has a charter and a steering body of individuals, all bound to adhere to the ADL’s stated principles.  While I have a personal policy on religious intolerance, the ADL is a policy, focused entirely on this very matter.  Here is their 1913 mission statement (direct from their website, http://www.adl.org/about.asp?s=topmenu ):

“The immediate object of the League is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. Its ultimate purpose is to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike and to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens.”

Since 1913, they EXIST to end unjust discrimination and ridicule of ANY SECT or BODY OF CITIZENS. Their words.  Not mine.

Sara Palin and Newt Gingrich can say whatever they want about Park 51. Their job descriptions are not specific on how they should view the issue. But the ADL is different. The ADL exists to come down on the right side of issues like this, particularly and especially when everyone else is on the wrong side.

And they blew it.  Big time.  Their transgression is not simply one of craven negligence, not one of merely failing to rise to the occasion in their self-appointed role as guardian of tolerance and diversity.  Their July 28 statement starts out admirably enough: “We regard freedom of religion as a cornerstone of the American democracy, and that freedom must include the right of all Americans – Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other faiths – to build community centers and houses of worship.  We categorically reject appeals to bigotry on the basis of religion, and condemn those whose opposition to this proposed Islamic Center is a manifestation of such bigotry.”  They should have left it at that. Period. Or said nothing. 

Saying nothing would have constituted a mere a dereliction of their bound duty.  But the full statement, which comes down squarely (albeit in milquetoast fashion) on the side of fear and bigotry, is a willful betrayal of it.

Hence the reason I am more concerned, even frightened, about this stupid, issueless issue than I ever expected I would be.  The ADL was one of those “go to” places for minorities – usually Jewish, but their mission statement clearly once promised succor and protection to all peoples – when they felt ridiculed, when they felt discriminated against, when they felt in danger.  Sure, there are other places, other institutions whose stated commitment to social justice are of the same ilk. But there is no saying that this breathtaking erosion of integrity and core principles is limited just to ADL.

We now find ourselves in world where, perhaps, any organization such as ADL can be expected to carelessly jettison its commitment to protect those most threatened by the bigots against diversity. And I am left wondering, where am I to go? What if that day comes when my legally-proposed cultural building inspires actual public debate over whether I should be allowed to express my convictions of faith legally, as and where I choose? Where is this Marooned Astronaut to go now when public discourse waxes venal and rails against me and my breed; when bigots start feeling comfortable publicly proposing my expulsion from the land, or at least from my rights, even though I am a US Citizen, just because of the strange-looking place in which I socialize, or the weird extraterrestrial complexion of my skin, or the alien language I speak among my kin, or my Jewish heritage.  Who should I count on, now that I know it cannot be the ADL?