And it’s becoming increasingly clear with each passing day. Today the NYT reports on how there are already two mosques close to Ground Zero. One of them is 4 blocks away and the other is 12 blocks away. They have been there for decades, and both routinely turn people away for lack of space. Gee, wouldn’t it be nice if there were another nearby mosque to accommodate them?
Furthermore, all these mosques, whether they are 2, 4 or 12 blocks from Ground Zero, aren’t actually at Ground Zero. Distance does matter. Which is why it’s mostly rightwing nuts calling it the “Ground Zero Mosque” or, worse, “the mosque at Ground Zero” as though it were right there.
But wait, what if Muslims were actually practicing Islam directly on site at the “hallowed space” of the 9/11 attacks? Oh shit, they already do. Muslims have practiced their faith inside the Pentagon since 9/11. As has been noted elsewhere, this has gone on for years and has made appearances in media, but doesn’t become a “controversy” until the rightwing hate machine decides to make it their issue. And so it was initially with the Cordoba initiative. Once again, like Stendhal says, we are victim to a debate being hijacked by Braindead Megaphones. And the mainstream media goes along for the ride.
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