Freedom_of_Religion

Freedom of religion, one of the many basic freedoms that we as Americans are given; yet we take for granted everyday. For American citizens, we have been able to practice whatever religion we please wherever we please all our lives, but recently for one group of American citizens, their freedom of religion has been put in jeopardy. Six hundred feet away from where the Twin Towers once stood, a private contractor is attempting to build a Community Center that will harbor a swimming pool, basketball court, library, day-car facility, restaurant, cooking school and a mosque. The very idea of putting a mosque so close to the site of one of the worst tragedies in our nation’s history upset many Americans and caused something seemingly insignificant to erupt into an extremely controversial debate between countrymen. Those against the construction of the mosque claim that it is “not right” to build a mosque near Ground Zero because many of the protestors associate the Islamic religion as the cause of the pain and horror caused on that day. However, those of Islamic faith are not to blame, for it was not the entire Muslim community that planned and executed the attack on the Twin Towers. Therefore, the entire Muslim community doesn’t hold any of the blame for that attack nor do they deserve the prejudice they receive. While researching I read and listened to the arguments of the protestors and I was able to see that their arguments are incessantly fueled by their own personal prejudices against the Muslim community. According to the First Amendment, it is our right as Americans to have religious freedom and I believe that prohibiting a mosque to be built is unconstitutional, regardless of where it is.