How Close Is “Too Close” & How Far Is Far Enough?

Millions of Americans have weighed in on the proposed Islamic Center two blocks from the site of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York City, but few of the people who rabidly oppose construction and the pundits and others who analyze the debate look at the reality at street level.

We’ll have to assume that most people who read newspapers or own a television set and turn on the news programs once in a while know the issue: American Muslims want to build a center much like your average YMCA or Jewish Community Center two blocks from the WTC site, to be open to the general public. In it, there would be a mosque for worship.

The WTC site is not visible from the proposed center and the center is not visible from the WTC site. So, what’s the problem? They’re Muslims!

Opponents say that it’s “too close” to the site of what will be the Freedom Tower, at the WTC location. Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, fairly frothed at the mouth when he described the proposal as exhibiting “triumphalism” by Islam over the demise of the towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

It’s hard to say exactly how Gingrich reached his assessment, since Muslims who are Americans, like other religious groups before them, want to contribute something to their community, as well as express their religious beliefs in a separate part of the building. Routine practice of religion (any religion) usually does not include expressions of triumphalism over anyone else.

But Gingrich’s expression of outrage opened the floodgates of vitriol over the proposed construction and millions have taken a position against the Islamic center, to the point that a majority of Americans (according to one poll) are against the construction.

One of the more important public figures involved in what was essentially a local issue is strongly in favor of the building’s construction—Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The mayor has pointed out that, in America, everyone has the right, a constitutional right, to worship in the manner they choose and that includes the construction of houses of worship where they choose to build them. And, President Obama’s statement on the issue (the first statement) backed up Bloomberg’s position.

Although more than 50 percent of Americans oppose the construction of the center at the site chosen, it is not likely that even a small percentage of them know that there is already a place where Muslims regularly worship, just four blocks away from the WTC site, and it’s been there since before the World Trade Center was built.

That fact could change the minds of many Americans, but then, they might declare that four blocks away is too close and demand that the place of worship be closed.

So, the question becomes: What is too close? And, What is far enough? Is the two-block difference all right, or should opponents be appeased by forcing the closure of the existing mosque or worship site because it is only four blocks from the WTC site? It does make a difference.

However, if four blocks is a sufficient distance, why is not two blocks sufficient? Looked at in this manner, it seems that a two-block difference is cutting it a bit thin, especially since the proposed center site is out of sight of the tower location.

Most of the leading opponents are also a bit thin on their rationale for opposing the construction of the center. They couch their opposition in terms of “respecting the sensibilities” of the opponents and of the families of the victims of the attack, notwithstanding the support of building the center on the part of a number of families of victims.

The best beliefs and intentions of the good Christian opponents are not on display in this matter. Recall that in October 2006, a gunman entered West Nickel Mines School, an Amish school in Lancaster County, Pa., and systematically shot ten girls, killing five, before he killed himself.

The response of the Amish community stunned most of the country, if not the world, when they, collectively, forgave the gunman, himself a husband and father of three, and made peace with his family and joined them in expressing their profound sorrow for the loss of life.

The families and community of the slain children did not blame the other members of whatever religious group to which the gunman belonged. They rightfully saw it as a tragedy for everyone involved. It was not the fault of the killer’s parents or his other family members, so the Amish did not blame them.

One Amish father said at the time that he, the gunman, was a husband and father, that he possessed a soul and that he was now standing before a just god. The school was demolished and a new school was built a short distance away and named The New Hope School. It opened six months after the shootings.

There’s very little chance that the nation or the world would be stunned by the response of the opponents of the Islamic center in New York City. Whatever else it is, the response, beginning with Gingrich, demonstrates a lust for revenge.

If four blocks is a sufficient distance away for an existing worship site and two blocks is not far enough for the proposed center, how far is enough? Would 10 blocks be enough? Would two states away be far enough? What would be reasonable for people who just want to eradicate any evidence that Muslims are a part of the United States of America?

It’s not that opponents could ever be satisfied, but they never have said how far would be enough for them. Don’t expect any specific requirements from them anytime soon, because that begins to tread on their own religions. If they could dictate how, when, and where others might practice their religions, someone might be taking a closer look at their own religious practices. Some Christians believe in Christ’s admonition to “love thine enemy.” Gingrich and his followers apparently don’t even love people who are not their enemies.

For many opponents, building the center in Baghdad probably would be far enough, as long as it didn’t come too close to the Green Zone.