Mosque Flap: Muslins Trump Christians

As the furor escalates over the so-called ground zero mosque, the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church's request to rebuild its cathedral only blocks away has languished. The church's petition has been tangled in bureaucratic red tape, while New York's political elitists have rushed to approve the construction of a 13-story Muslim community center two blocks from the epicenter of the September 11th attacks.

St. Nicholas Church was buried under tons of rubble after it was crushed by the fall of the Twin Towers in 2001. Within a month of the attacks in New York City, Archbishop Demetrios pledged that the four-story church would rise again on the same spot it had occupied since 1922. The church filed a request with the New York Port Authority, the agency overseeing the reconstruction.

That was nearly nine years ago. The Port Authority has yet to rule on the church petition, despite the endorsement from then Gov. George E. Pataki. Issues have arisen over the size of the church complex and the amount of funding the Port Authority will contribute to the construction of the new building.

The seventy families who worshipped at the Greek Orthodox church now congregate at a cathedral in downtown Brooklyn. Church members have waited patiently for the rebuilding of their small cathedral in downtown Manhattan. A spokesman for the congregation says members are becoming "restless" over the stalled project.

When Mayor Bloomberg was appraised of the church's dilemma this week, he feigned surprise. He admitted the reconstruction had been "a bone of contention between the church and the Port Authority." The mayor, who did not hesitate to leap into the fray when an uproar ensued over the mosque, took a hands off approach, saying he did not want to "interfere" with the Port Authority's deliberations over the church's rebuilding project.

It appears, at least in New York City, it is easier for Muslims to construct a new community center with a mosque than it is for Christians to rebuild a church destroyed by the worst attack on American soil. The mayor's hypocrisy over the issue only underscores the rush to political correctness by city officials eager to use religious freedom and tolerance as an excuse to favor one group over another.

Even the Lecturer-in-Chief, Barack Obama, got into the act. At a Ramadan dinner in the White House State Dining Room, the President opined that Muslims had the right "to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan." He wagged his finger and admonished his fellow countrymen, "This is America and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

The tone-deaf President was off the mark even wider than usual. No one on the other side of this issue has claimed Muslims, Christians or any other religion does not have the right to build a place of worship. The President just wants people to believe that is the issue. He knows better, but chooses to scold Christians about their lack of understanding of the U.S. Constitution.

Apparently, he is suffering from an awful memory lapse. Radical members of Islam piloted the planes into the Twin Towers, praising Allah all the way to their deaths. Would any Muslim nation--say Iran or Saudi Arabia--allow a Christian church to be built within sight of its holiest shrines? Of course not. Then why is it so unreasonable for Americans to suggest it is inappropriate to build a mosque near ground zero?

Most citizens just want the Muslims to show a little tolerance for our values. Ground Zero is a sacred piece of our shared experience as Americans. Out of respect, Muslims should heed calls from concerned voices that are suggesting the community center be built at another location. By the way, there are nearly 30 mosques in New York City alone. No one could argue that Muslims don't have a place to worship in Manhattan.

Muslims championing the community center have refused to bow to these reasonable requests. With the mayor of New York City and the President in their corner, why should they budge? However, the Muslims and the politicians have misjudged the depth of American outrage at their decision to move forward with the project at the current site. Surveys show 60 to 70 percent of Americans prefer the mosque to be built somewhere else in Manhattan.

Perhaps, supporters have been blinded by a recent endorsement for the project. None other than Mahmoud al-Zahar, the leader of the notorious Hamas terrorist group, announced his support for the building of the place of worship. There is no word on whether Bloomberg or Obama would endorse Hamas building a recruiting center in Manhattan.

Meanwhile St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church remains out in the cold. Church leaders continue to press forward while the Port Authority dawdles. It would be nice if Bloomberg and Obama could summon up what little courage they have to make sure the Greek Orthodox congregation obtains the same speedy approvals as Muslims did to build a house of worship in lower Manhattan.

Then again why should they change their tune? Bloomberg and Obama have already chosen sides in this debate. Based on their words and actions, Muslims' interests trump Christians in the building of worship houses.