America Says No to Mega Mosque
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Few Americans are unaware of the controversy over the proposed Ground Zero mosque in New York City. Thanks to the mainstream media, even fewer are aware of the protest against it on this year’s anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. TFP Student Action volunteers joined a huge rally one block from Ground Zero in New York City against the “Victory Mosque” and remembered the victims of the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history.
The 9/11 Rally of Remembrance was organized by Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, and Pamela Geller of the Freedom Defense Initiative and Stop Islamization of America. It featured prominent speakers in the anti-Jihad movement as well as political leaders.
But the vast majority of rally goers were patriotic Americans who consider a mosque at Ground Zero to be offensive, insulting, and unacceptable to the victims of 9/11 and to America. Although many would like to simply move the mosque to a different location, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Muslim leader behind the project, has been unbending.
Leftists support the mosque
Not far from the Rally of Remembrance was a pro-mosque counter-demonstration, where one would expect to see lots of Muslim protesters. However, that was not the case. There was a conglomeration of mostly non-Muslim American activists organized by pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, far-left socialist groups such as the International Action Center. It is curious how these anti-family advocates sided so quickly with Islam.
Yelled at for wearing a Cross
One lady we met related how she accidentally entered the perimeter of the counter-protest, and was immediately heckled with obscenities and vulgarities for wearing a cross around her neck. Some pro-mosque people held signs that are too vulgar to repeat. In spite of the police presence, many leftist agitators continuously infiltrated the Rally of Remembrance to disrupt it.
Is the major media blind?
Most shameless, however, was the behavior of the major media. Unwilling to interview normal, coherent, patriotic Americans, reporters zeroed in on a few clearly imbalanced protesters and gave them disproportionate attention and coverage. The media was interested in portraying the 9/11 rally as a small group of racist extremists, which it clearly was not.
Ultimately, the struggle against Islamic terrorism -- like the Vietnam War -- is more an internal, psychological struggle within Western civilization, against its internal enemies, than a physical battle on a distant battlefield.
But 70% of Americans are against the mega mosque at Ground Zero and that must be a hard pill for the media to swallow.
On the return trip from New York to Pennsylvania, our group stopped for dinner. Towards the end of the meal, the waitresses and manager learned that we were returning from the 9/11 rally, and immediately the table service, which was already good, improved dramatically. The manager came out and personally showed her support. “I’m with you all the way,” she said. “If there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know.”
“We will never forget!”