ACLU Jumps on "Ground Zero" Mosque Bandwagon With Bus Ad

Last month a right-wing group threatened the MTA with a lawsuit in order to get their ad against the "Ground Zero" mosque onto city buses. Now the ACLU and NYCLU have chimed in with their own ad, seen here, supporting the Islamic community center proposed for Park Place. The ad will start appearing on buses on September 20th. Last month, the ACLU and NYCLU joined more than 100 groups in forming New York Neighbors for American Values, a coalition "devoted to the core American values of religious freedom, diversity, and equality that has supported the right of the community center to be built in its proposed location." The group will be holding a vigil tonight near Park51, on the eve of the planned 9/11 protest outside the site of the proposed mosque.

Meanwhile, President Obama responded to questions about the mosque during a press conference today. "We are not at war against Islam, we are at war against a terrorist organization," said Obama, reminding everyone that U.S. Muslim soldiers are currently fighting in Afghanistan. "If you can build a church on the site, if you can build a synagogue on the site, if you can build a Hindu temple on the site, then you can build a mosque on the site," Obama added, apparently failing to grasp that his faith in his fellow Americans' receptivity to reason is completely unfounded.

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By John Del Signore in News on September 10, 2010 3:40 PM

Comments [rss]

teacherman

The distinction I feel people fail to get is it's not about being against a mosque, it's about being against a mosque there. From what I've seen no one is anti-mosque or anti-Muslim, the opposition is to the location.

Build it somewhere else and the contoversy goes away.

As for the ACLU, they are a bunch of idiots. The 9/11 attacks weren't done in the name of Judaism, or Catholicism. There is a difference. The hijackers were recruited and trained via mosques. Comparing it to a church or synagogue is moronic.

Truffaut400

Thanks, ACLU, for making an important distinction. If this were a church or synagogue, there would be no anxiety about violent retribution. Burning the Bible or Torah would be disregarded by all as a crackpot but ultimately benign act of desecration, rather than potentially incendiary provocation. Protesting the establishment of, say, an LDS or CoS building, would be seen as an attack on a set of beliefs (as it should be) rather than an expression of bigotry.

And yes, religious freedom does know boundaries in this country. Polygamy laws, for instance. Or recent legislation regarding metzitzah b'peh.

chuzzlewit

whoa is right. that is hideous. now we can begin to have a discussion about sensitivity and good taste, i think.

Dogsbody

Cue "It's not a mosque at ground zero, it's a community center near ground zero" debate in 3,2,1....

Andrew G

Looks like graffiti on buses will be on the rise. Hope the MTA's cleaning crew is ready.

jchez

Afghan Protests Against Koran Burning Turn Violent

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/world/asia/11afghan.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1284148805-JGvtM290OYunix7dNjruAg

Remember, there hasn't been any burning yet or there may never be.

‘He’s going to burn a Koran? Quick, let’s go join a terrorist organization that mass-murders people.’

souffle

So let me get this straight... We are so offended that you want to burn our book that we will show our displeasure by burning your flag? Yeah, that leaves you with any sliver of credibility.

jchez

Remember, these are the people that more than once have threatened harm to those who dare to call them violent or uncivilized. Seriously.

S.D.

Direct question: Do you think All Muslims are radicals and responsible for 9/11???

Unless you stereotype: That's the only way Park51 detractors and posting that link makes sense.

Keep in mind: Muslims believe that the Koran is the literal word of God. That matters to them and Jackasses like Terry Jones (A "christian" preaching intolerance and inciting hatred...) only make things worse.

<ul><li>Yes, it's wrong to harm anyone over the burning of the Koran, but pretending All Muslims are violent is an outright lie.</li><li>The Iman works with the FBI and the State Department.</li><li>Park 51 had NOTHING to do with 9/11.</li><li>Muslims have denounced terrorism.</li><li>The ACLU is absolutely correct in that ad. </li></ul>Got it?

So, Do you think All Muslims are radicals and responsible for 9/11??? You'd be in fine company with people like Pamela Geller and "Billiamsburg"...

ides_of_march

Pastor Jones offered to come to NYC and meet with Imam Rauf to discuss the situation and Rauf flat out refused. A perfect opportunity for some of that "interfaith dialogue" the imam keeps telling us is the prime reason for the mosque. Rauf is a liar.

handsomedevil

More awesome logic Ides - according to you the man is obligated to meet with every asshole who publicly announces he wants to meet without having the courtesy to line up a real appointment first. And if he doesn't, it proves he's not committed to peace.

Why don't YOU announce that you want to meet Rauf too, right here in Gothamist. Then you'll have another flimsy excuse to dump on him.

manuelmontalvo

Pastor Mustache is a liar.

S.D.

Exactly.

Only a moron would believe his BS.

Guest_of_a_Guest

Do you really believe that Pastor Jones had any intention of engaging in a sincere dialogue? I believe he is little more than a snake oil salesman looking for his niche which will be used to raise money.

That being said, the NYCLU's ad begs the question. Of course there would be no controversy if it weren't a mosque. The whole point of the controversy is that the terrorists were, in fact, Muslims, albiet extremists. If those planes were hijacked by a bunch of holy-rollers from the Ozarks, the mosque wouldn't be an issue. I think there is a genuine issue of whether building this mosque is insensitive or it the opponents are merely reactionary, and this ad pretends otherwise.

hotstepper

"pastor" jones is a nobody. get over it.

ides_of_march

The ad is a joke. The reason the mosque is controversial is because the hijackers were in fact, all muslim and they were carrying out the attacks on the WTC in the name of Islam. Those are simply the facts. They were not Christians or Jews or any other religion so the comparison in this case is bogus.

robingee

shuuuuuuuuuuut uuuuuuuuuuup

ides_of_march

That "nobody" has much of the world's attention at the moment. Rauf refused to meet with Governor Patterson too. For a man that says he wants dialogue and "outreach" so much, Rauf sure as hell doesn't seem to want to talk to or reach out to anybody. (Anybody that's not kissing his ass that is.)