My letter on "Ground Zero Mosque" gets published in the New Haven Register

If Forum columnist Charles Krauthammer opposes the creation of the Islamic cultural center near ground zero in New York because it is near “sacred ground,” why is he also not outraged by the strip joints and porn shops located there? In truth, Krauthammer’s opposition to the cultural center is based on bigotry and the belief that all the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims are responsible for the actions of a terrorist minority. On Sept. 11, more than 100 innocent Muslims were among those who died at the World Trade Center. Many survivors were driven to hospitals by Muslim cab drivers. When they arrived at the hospitals, Muslim physicians were among those who provided treatment. There were American Muslim firefighters and police officers among the first responders at the scene. Muslims were involved at all levels. There are more than 800,000 Muslims in Manhattan, and the overwhelming majority live in peace. Their pain regarding Sept. 11 is real. Muslims have every right to worship in the area near ground zero. This Islamic center will include a place for worship, and also an auditorium, a swimming pool, a basketball court and a culinary school. It will be open to members of all faiths. The leader of this center, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, is known for his great interfaith work, building bridges between religious communities. He is supported by local rabbis and church leaders. Stopping this Islamic cultural center would be tragic indeed, because it will have meant that we sacrificed our core values of religious freedom, diversity and interfaith understanding on the altar of fear, ignorance and religious intolerance.

Unfortunately, this project has unleashed a wave of Islamophobia around the country, which has hit us right here at home in CT:

BRIDGEPORT -- About a dozen right-wing Christians, carrying placards and yelling "Islam is a lie," angrily confronted worshippers outside a Fairfield Avenue mosque Friday. "Jesus hates Muslims," they screamed at worshippers arriving at the Masjid An-Noor mosque to prepare for the holy month of Ramadan. One protester shoved a placard at a group of young children leaving the mosque. "Murderers," he shouted.

Mustafa Salahuddin, an Ansonia police officer and parishioner at the mosque, calmly watched the protesters from the mosque's parking area. "This is unfortunate, but it's a free country," he commented on the protest. "But I believe Jesus would have been appalled by this. We revere Jesus the same way they do."

In response, Connecticut Muslim leaders rallied against Islamophobia at the State Capitol and asked for increased protection during this month of Ramadan:

According to Reza Mansoor, the president of the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut, the Christian group called the children murders as they walked into the mosque. Area Muslim leaders are asking police and other public officials for assurances that they can worship without being harassed, with the start of the holy month of Ramadan this past Wednesday. Mansoor said that the religious intolerance must be regarded as a “social cancer, a threat to our very democratic, pluralistic way of life.” He said words of hatred are creating a sense of fear among Muslims, who are increasingly being harassed, intimidated, and called names in the United States. “Islam was defiled and hijacked by the ruthless terrorist attack of 9/11 and likewise, the words of Jesus have been defiled by hate. How can ‘love thy neighbor’ be translated as ‘Jesus hates Muslims’?” Mansoor said.

Mansoor said his Muslim coalition has worked with many communities addressing homelessness, health care, and feeding the poor, saying that such actions are the “hallmark of healthy, inter-faith relations.” He addressed the recent plans for a mosque and cultural center near the former site of the World Trade Center in New York City, saying the project will be a place “for all the people of the area,” and will have a 9/11 memorial within the building. “Sadly, it has become a symbol to rally hate against Islam,” he said, before citing various cities across the country in which mosque construction became a topic of hate. Mansoor said religious pluralism and freedom of worship are the fundamental values that the country was founded on. Religious intolerance, he said, can lead to violence that should be stopped before it begins. He added that Muslims are Americans who want to live the American dream, too. “They, as all Americans, have the right to worship freely without any fear of intimidation, without any fear of harassment,” said Mongi Dhaouadi, executive director of the Connecticut office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Local religious leaders of other faiths have also come forward to defend the Muslim community:

"A lot of the public Muslim-bashing rhetoric has been getting to me," said Kate Heichler, president of the InterFaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut. "It's time to do something." The InterFaith Council, which seeks to promote conversation and collaboration among faith communities in lower Fairfield County, will host a vigil Tuesday night as a public display of support for the Muslim community. Religious leaders from local Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities will participate and a representative from Mayor Michael Pavia's administration is expected to attend. Joshua Hammerman, a rabbi at Temple Beth El in Stamford, said he plans to participate. "I think it's really important that the Jewish community be represented because it's in our interest here, in Israel and worldwide to reach out to our Islamic brothers and sisters across the divide," Hammerman said. "We have much to share, much in common among our faiths."