NYT story on public resistance across America to mosque construction.
Not a new story: public education in America took off in the 1830s in response to the rising influx of Irish Catholics and their parochial schools. And whenever the middle class income takes a hit, resistance to foreigners swells.
But it's particularly galling to see Americans resist a group trying to organize themselves religiously in our midst, because freedom of religion brought so many of us to these shores. Starting a church is such an American thing, and these people are declaring themselves openly and rooting themselves in our society--who doesn't want to see that sort of upfront behavior?
To me, the suspicious ones are the ones who don't want to build out in the open and declare themselves, so formal connectivity is always to be welcomed.
Sad state of affairs.
When I first heard of the mosque proposal in Lower Manhattan, I thought it was perfect--very American. But too many of us are reaching for the lowest common denominators, which usually are based on fear and ignorance.
No way to win a Long War, say I.