{"id":854,"date":"2010-08-27T15:26:55","date_gmt":"2010-08-27T15:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ondrocks2000.com\/standpoint\/2010\/08\/27\/does-park51-really-matter\/"},"modified":"2010-08-27T15:26:55","modified_gmt":"2010-08-27T15:26:55","slug":"does-park51-really-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ondrocks2000.com\/standpoint\/2010\/08\/27\/does-park51-really-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Park51 Really Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALEXANDER MELEAGROU-HITCHENS<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the past week I have been in New York, and on Tuesday took the afternoon to visit Ground Zero and Park51, the site of the Cordoba Initiative\u2019s proposed Islamic centre.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 <\/p>\n

As I pressed the timer on my watch in order to check how long it takes to walk from the former World Trade Centre to the Cordoba site, it dawned on me how absurd this whole issue really is; what distance would be appropriate? Should there be some sort of strictly enforced \u2018don\u2019t offend me\u2019 radius around Ground Zero?\u00a0 The next day, the New York Times<\/a> <\/em>reported that Mayor Bloomberg made exactly this point:<\/p>\n

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Mr. Bloomberg\u2026said he understood the impulse to find a different location, in the hope of ending the controversy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cBut it won\u2019t,\u201d the mayor said, \u201cThe question will then become, \u2018how big should the \u2018no-mosque zone\u2019 around the World Trade Center be?’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Arriving at the site (it\u2019s about a three minute walk in case you were wondering), I saw three young New Yorkers holding up signs in support of the mosque.\u00a0 Wishing to get at least some idea of the nature of pro-Park51 New Yorkers, I discussed the issue with all of them and was pleasantly surprised: \u00a0they were normal, young liberals like me, able to balance an appreciation of the threat of Islamic jihad with an understanding that not all Muslims want to take over the world.\u00a0 It was difficult, however, to keep up a long discussion, as we were regularly interrupted by passers-by, many of them clearly against the plans.\u00a0 Two things struck me about these people: first, the main crux of their argument was that it is offensive to have an Islamic centre built so close to Ground Zero; and second, although they were clearly against the plan, they were unwilling to support any sort of ban on its construction.<\/p>\n


Pro-Park51 New Yorkers<\/strong><\/p>\n


Things get heated<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the first point, this is simply not a valid argument, and one that was made recently<\/a> by a Democrat, Sheldon Silver, who is also the Speaker of the New York State Assembly. \u00a0In City Hall this week, he said that Cordoba \u201cshould take into very serious consideration the kind of turmoil that\u2019s been created and look to compromise.\u201d\u00a0 Instead, he hoped that they could find \u201ca suitable place that doesn\u2019t create the kind of controversy\u201d brought about by the Park51 plan.<\/p>\n

In any discussion about the construction of the Islamic centre, the least<\/em> relevant point is that it is in some way an offensive act. \u00a0Comparisons with the Mohammed cartoons episode have already been made<\/a> in this debate, but it is worth repeating that, in order for the \u2018right to offend\u2019 argument to hold any sway, it must be allowed to go both ways.<\/p>\n

There are, however, a number of concerns that if they had any foundation, would be relevant. \u00a0Some of these include: <\/p>\n