By: Leette Eaton- White

I have come to realize more so than before that it is important I acknowledge not only how grateful I am to be contributor here at HHR but also that I can write about almost anything I want. Mr. Richard Ivory plucked me from obscurity and gave me the chance to do something great for the country that I love. I get to write about politics and give my usually uncensored opinion. It is important I note that in every piece I write it is a work that expresses only my views and not necessarily the views of everyone at the website. Those of you, who are frequent HHR readers know this, but it is a good idea to make that clear to the new folks. It is not unusual for HHR writers to disagree with one another; and that makes this site a fun way to get educated and informed opinions.

I write this knowing full well how sensitive this subject is, and how what I am about to say will most definitely offend, the right wing, the left wing, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and worshippers of the flying spaghetti monster. Yes folks, even those Spaghetti Monsterists (http://www.venganza.org/  ) will probably not like something I say in this op-ed. (I hope that made you laugh, because the following content is heartbreakingly serious.)

There has been much controversy over the potential Mosque at Ground Zero. I have done my best to listen to all, and understand their points of view. I have even sparred with people I love and respect over the topic. When I think of 9/11 I think of my family members who were downtown that day. When I think of this mosque I think of all my wonderful Muslim friends, most of whom I have met in the last few months. I think of how hurt we all were after 9/11, and how hurt my Muslim friends probably are feeling, being discriminated against. It’s a touchy subject. It is a combination of unhealed, raw wounds, salt and rubbing alcohol. Not pleasant in the slightest. I do not even really want to speak about it. I have, however, come the conclusion that I must. The more I hear, the more I think on it, the more I understand, the more I think it is wrong. What is odd however, is that being a person who rarely changes their mind about anything, I felt quite different just a few weeks ago.

Being a Constitutionalist Conservative reflects my core political philosophy. The 1st Amendment, perhaps the most important of them all, is clear. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” These words to me are more precious than gold. We do not just have freedom from religion, we have freedom for it! I do not know if anything more beautiful than this can be found in a governing document of another nation. It does not matter how close minded some people on the right want to be, Muslims are not all terrorists and it is wrong to treat them that way. So it is clear, and I said this many MANY times: Muslims, like anyone else have a right to worship. The last few weeks of intense discussion have forced me to ask, just as Sarah Palin asked and Barack Obama had to acknowledge… is it really right for them to worship there?

There are several points to tackle when observing this issue. We have to look at them all to really have a sense of the whole picture. If we do not look at the whole picture we will not have the whole story. Without all the details there is no point in even discussing the matter. While anything can be denied, even if such denial is to perpetrate a falsehood, nothing in a matter this serious should ever be ignored. Perception is perhaps the biggest part of this. So we have to look at the perception people have; not simply of the mosque but of the people involved in putting the entire project together.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is the head of the Cordoba Initiative, the group that wants to build this mosque. He was born in Kuwait and has been educated in London, Egypt, and the USA. An accomplished man in many ways he has chosen to dedicate his career to improving Muslim- West relations. All clearly very good things. He has said over and over again that he is a moderate Muslim in what is clearly an effort to comfort fears about Islam, which is also good. While Mr. Abdul Rauf may sincerely categorize himself as a moderate the truth of the matter is what may be considered moderate in the Muslim community at large, and even the Muslim American community, is not widely considered moderate by the West, nor by non- Muslim Americans.

Shortly after 9/11 he said the following… “I wouldn’t say that the United States deserved what happened. But the United States’ policies were an accessory to the crime that happened.” Now many people, especially those on the left feel this way. That America’s unfortunate (at best) interference in international matters brought on these attacks. However this is simply a product of lazy thinking. While some may say that the attacks of 9/11 were brought on by a logical reaction to predatory American policy, the truth is the 9/11 attacks were brought on by religious extremism and hate for those who do not live in governments that are willing to bend to the will of those wish to live in places where Islam is the sole power. This is why there have been a great number of terrorist attacks wherever there is not an expressed and consistent appeasement to the theocracy laid out by Sharia law (there is dispute over whether or not Sharia law is actually divine law you can read that here… http://www.submission.org/hadith/sharialaws.html  and watch the controversial video that disputes some claims the former link (and criticizes Islam at large) here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib9rofXQl6w  )

However bad American policy has been, there is nothing at all to defend or excuse a surprise attack and act of war (not simply a crime) that murdered nearly three thousand people. Words that do that, are not the words of someone who is “moderate” by American standards. He also said this in 2004 “The Islamic method of waging war is not to kill innocent civilians. But it was Christians in World War II who bombed civilians in Dresden and Hiroshima, neither of which were military targets.” While I do not take much issue with the later part of the statement (after all this piece is not about WWII, despite the fact it is astoundingly foolish of him to assume everyone who decided to officiate those attacks during a properly declared international war were Christians) I do take great issue with the first part. Let me break down this statement “the Islamic method of waging war…”- good to know, Islam is at war, according to the “moderate”. Let us look a little further now “… is not to kill innocent civilians.” that is a lie. Sorry Mr. Abdul Rauf but there is far too much proof against that statement. If Islamists (even if it is just kooky, uneducated, dark ages, backwards, extremists who don’t know any better type of Muslims who do not represent Muslims at large) are at war, they have proven tenfold they seek to kill innocent people. They proved it on 9/11, they proved in countless attacks in India, the UK, Eastern Europe, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, and many other places. They target market places, places of worship (mosques included), hotels, transit systems, and financial areas. They absolutely not only want to kill innocent people, they seek out innocent people for the purpose of creating suffering and fear. I tolerate plenty of things I disagree with but I will not tolerate lies. It is no wonder people doubt this man and the Cordoba Initiative’s motives in building this mosque.

There is also the historical issue of Muslims having what seems to be a habit of building mosques over the sites that were previously houses of worship for other religions and so called conquered land, including Cordoba itself (in Spain), which is the name of the organization Mr. Abdul Rauf heads. An article explaining this idea can be found here http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/07/the_mosques_of_war.html  . The verse in the Quran that has been pointed to for supposedly condoning such behavior is Surah 18 verse 21 “And as such, We revealed their case so that they would know that God’s promise is true and that there is no doubt regarding the Hour. They argued amongst themselves regarding them, so they said: “Erect a monument for them!” Their Lord is fully aware of them, those who managed to win the argument said: “We will construct a temple over them.” (translations from the Arabic to English can be seen here.. http://www.openburhan.net/ob.php?sid=18&vid=21  ) Even if this verse has been misinterpreted by both Muslims and non-Muslims it has been pointed to as being an authoritative element in the history of Mosque construction. It is another example of why non- Muslim Americans fear the intentions behind the building of a Mosque so close to Ground Zero.

In addition to historical habits there is the question of funding and links to radical Islam, and apologists for Islamic Terrorism, such as CAIR which was listed as a co-conspirator to the Holy Land Foundation. The article discussing this link can be found here… http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.6766/pub_detail.asp  and the pdf of the lawsuit here… http://www.pipelinenews.org/images/HLFCAIRAmicus.pdf  . All of these things make the entire nature of the mosque highly suspect.

Many Muslims have I have spoken with have said that the whole point of this mosque is to heal. Which according to Mr. Abdul Rauf is his whole intention and his life’s work. They want nothing more than to see peace between Islam and the West. And in spite of my obvious reservations, this much I do believe. For the average Muslim American, I do think they truly want to live and worship in America, because they love Allah, and they love America and they hate what seems to be a huge gap between the two entities.

Let us say for moment, there was no need to wonder about the intentions of the Muslim group wishing to build this mosque, let us say for a moment, there is no reason to question anything about funding for, or from this mosque, let us say for just a moment everything, down to the last dollar, and the purest heart, that this mosque is being built only for worship (in the most moderate interpretation) and to help the community and to help Americans heal the relationship wounded with the Muslim community since 9/11. We have all this good stuff established, and yet what effect has even the idea of the Mosque actually had? A bad effect as is obvious. People are not ready to heal, or trust. It has only made many people angry, suspicious, and deeply hurt. Many have ran the line that it is insult to injury. So its intention (as previously established) hasn’t been recognized, and based on that, it would be a better idea for the Cordoba Initiative to back off and find another spot. Being stubborn, and defiant only makes the very people against this even more against it, and further than that it is making the Muslims (however good hearted) in favor of it look downright insensitive. Normally I would tell people on the right, to get a thicker skin (so often we tell that to other people), but when dealing with the mass murder of nearly three thousand people in a surprise act of war, it is right to be sensitive and back off when those in mourning say to do so.

It would be wrong of me, to write all this, and to specifically target Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf without letting him have his say. So I present to you this an op-ed written by the man himself from 2006 talking about an attack in Iraq… http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/a_call_to_conscience_and_a_reminder_to_the_muslims/  

In it he says “In this time of strong passions, legitimately aroused by hurt feelings, we must be guided by the Islamic ethical imperative, which commands us to show compassion toward our fellow human beings.” Perhaps he and the entire Cordoba Initiative should take his own advice. In a case like this more sensitivity and compassion would be a very good thing.

About the Author: Leette Eaton- White is a native New Yorker and a full time student studying Forensic Psychology. She has been a Conservative Republican since 2002, finding her Republican roots at the age of 15. HipHopRepublican opened the gateway for her to start her political activism in urban areas and across the net.Contact – Leette4hhr@gmail.com