New York’s Mayor Bloomberg gets it right. The freedom to worship is a fundamental principle of secularism, the separation of church/mosque/synagogue/temple from state, and to infringe that principle is to capitulate to the extremists and the terrorists.
From the Huff Po:
Speaking on Governor’s Island, misty-eyed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised a decision to allow an Islamic center to be built near Ground Zero.
Bloomberg choked up during his delivery, which highlighted the spirit of religious tolerance and freedoms once sought by New York’s earliest settlers.
“We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That’s life and it’s part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11,” he said.
“Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbors grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values – and play into our enemies’ hands – if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists – and we should not stand for that.”
One Comment
Australians are often puzzled or saddened by decisions or statements by American leaders but occasionally, as in this case by Mayor Bloomfield, someone takes a stand that meets our expectation of the finest spirit of American democracy.