Randy Cowling
Managing Editor
CLAREMORE —
There are no second chances to make a first impression. Apparently President Barack Obama never learned this lesson.
Late this week he enter the fray about the construction of an Islamic mosque two blocks from where the World Trade Center towers once stood.
“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” Obama told a crowd gathered at the White House Friday evening to observe the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances,” he said. “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.”
“A nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another,” said the president, “stands in contrast to the religious conflict that persists around the globe.”
The mosque would be part of at $100 million Islamic community center to be construct within walking distance where 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
While the White House had previously remained silent on the mosque, calling it a local matter, Obama spoke out when he hosted the dinner to observe the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Isn’t ironic that Obama would host the dinner for the Islamic holy month, but would cancel and not attend the National Day of Prayer.
It should be noted that he is not the first president to host the dinner observing Ramadan. George W. Bush held similar dinners. However, Obama is the first president to distance himself from the National Day of Prayer.
Just what is he thinking? Or is he?
Obama’s support may find favor in the Muslim world, but it is the polar opposite of the majority of Americans, who opposed the construction of the mosque so close to the scene of our nation’s worst tragedy.
Many relatives of Sept. 11 victims see the mosque and now Obama’s support as an insult to their loved ones’ memory.
“In the end,” Obama said, “we remain ‘One nation, under God, indivisible.’ And we can only achieve ‘Liberty and justice for all’ if we live by that one rule at the heart of every religion, including Islam — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.”
Obama’s proclamation may sound like he’s being tolerant, but it doesn’t sound like he is standing for those who have been harmed by Islamic extremists. Since 9/11 there were 3,000 killed by the hijackers and our country has sacrificed nearly three times as many in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting these same extremists.
How can Obama give a nod to a mosque that would be a constant reminder of such a loss? It is inconceivable and unpardonable. Mr. President you really need to rethink who you serve. It’s not the Muslim world. It’s the U. S. of A.!
Randy Cowling is editor of the Claremore Daily Progress.
