http://www.godtube.com/featured/video/mosque-near-ground-zero Would you care to comment on this?

For those reading this quickly: The video link is to a story about a mosque being built near "Ground Zero" in New York City. The imam of the mosque is communicating it as a gesture of peace. Others are ambivalent. Some are outraged and question the mosque's links to terrorists and see it as a gesture that embraces 9-11 as a victory in jihad.

In answer - firstly, I'm not from NYC and can only guess at the level of emotion that is associated with 9-11 the "sacredness" of Ground Zero and the attitude towards Muslims. I can't unpack that side of things. I think Ground Zero is significant but, for me, not being "involved" in any sense more than seeing the tragedy unfold on TV in 2001, the place is not "sacred" and I don't have anything invested there that might be "profaned" by the building of this mosque. If the building of the mosque was deliberate provocation of the feelings of hurt, or done in a way that was deliberately ignorant of them, I would decry it's construction and location as inhumane insensitivity and advise some relational wisdom.

Secondly, how would I consider this in general terms?In general, would I have a problem with a mosque being built, wherever it might be built? No, not really. I think religious pluralism is a healthy context for Christian witness and religious freedom for all maximises the opportunity to evangelise for me. So "I have no problem with it" would be my default position.

URL: http://www.formspring.me/briggswill/q/779309454