Mosques, America, and You

All over America people are protesting the proposed building of mosques. It's the newest wave of anti-Islamic bigotry sweeping the country. There's really no adequate justification for this hatred. Contentions of a clash of civilizations are exaggerated and nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophesy.

The fact is that Islam is not a more violent religion than any other. Christianity likely takes that crown. I should know, much of family was killed in Holocaust. Now, many Christians will resent linking the tragedy of the Holocaust to Christianity, but that is what these protestors are doing with Islam. Sure, fanatics have killed in the name of Islam, just as fanatics have killed in the name of Christianity (and Judaism). It doesn't mean that churches and synagogues should be banned. That's ridiculous.

Most studies have determined that American Muslims are far less radical than their European co-religionists. The reason this is believed to be true is because of America's guaranteed freedom of religion. People become more radical when things that they hold close are threatened. Up until this point, there has been little threat, so American Muslims have generally stayed within the American mainstream. Muslims have the right to have their own place of worship. Mosques are not an affront to America; their existence is at the core of American values.