Zoning

I haven’t publicly commented on the proposed Mosque near Ground Zero for a number of reasons. I’m not a Muslim. I don’t live in New York and the only thing I lost in the destruction of the World Trade Center was some of my innocence.

I’ve visited Ground Zero and, along with the overwhelming feeling that this was truly a solemn, sacred place, there was also an annoyance, a frustration at the self-serving bureaucracy that has allowed it to remain a huge, ugly pit because no one can agree on what should be there — after nine years.

The new Yankee Stadium was completed almost overnight, but a memorial for 9/11 — not even close. But around the corner, there’s been a design, an architectural plan and the funding to back and build a new Mosque and Islamic Center. Some, many in New York leadership, say it’s the perfect example of the freedom of religion in America.

And, all the way across the country, here in Arizona, I say absolutely not! Build it a mile away. Build it at the other end of Manhattan Island. But, not a stroll from Ground Zero. It’s an affront. Just as many perfectly acceptable things are unacceptable — in the vicinity of Arlington, Normandy or Auschwitz — a Mosque at that place will only cause perpetual pain.

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