A couple of days ago I read a CNN article with the headline “Mosque to go up near New York’s ground zero.” The article itself was balanced, presenting both the intentions of the Muslim groups proposing the mosque’s construction and the dissenting opinions of those who lost family members during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The online comments that accompanied this article, however, were unreasonable – they made me sick to my stomach.

One commenter said, “it is a sad day for america: the muslims are coming … they destroyed lebanon and the middle east and now they will destroy america: what a messed up nation we are for letting them in.”
Why do some of the most patriotic citizens seem to uphold America’s principles the least?

Why, in a post-9/11 world, do people think that it is OK to stereotype an entire group of people as terrorists and religious extremists because of the actions of a small group of people? One could just as easily judge the entire population of white Christians from the actions of the Ku Klux Klan, but the idea is ludicrous.

Yes, a small group of Muslim extremists, al-Qaeda, was responsible for the nearly 3,000 American deaths on 9/11. But one should not forget that Muslim Americans were killed in those attacks too. To discriminate against and stereotype our own citizens because of their religious beliefs and dress is wrong, plain and simple. And to vehemently oppose the construction of a mosque near ground zero because of Muslim involvement in 9/11 shows a lack of support for our Muslim American citizens.

I do understand how the mosque’s construction could seem insensitive to some, with 9/11 still in our recent past.

In the article, a retired city detective who worked at ground zero said, “Lower Manhattan should be made into a shrine for the people who died there. It breaks my heart for the families who have to put up with this. I understand they’re [building] it in a respectful way, but it just shouldn’t be down there.”

I acknowledge this because I know that the hateful comments posted in response to the article are those of a select group of people who feel very strongly about the issue, and I do not want to judge all of those in opposition to the mosque based off of this small group. Now wouldn’t that be hypocritical.

But to those rational people who would oppose a mosque near ground zero, I still have to ask: When does this opposition become discrimination?