Okay, it’s a bad day when very sane advice sounds completely opposed to the mainstream. But Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley should make rational people proud with his editorial on the NYC mosque situation published in today’s Oregonian. Here’s the key passage:

The presence of a mosque is only inappropriate near ground zero if we unfairly associate Muslim Americans with the atrocities of the foreign al-Qaida terrorists who attacked our nation.

Such an association is a profound error. Muslim Americans are our fellow citizens, not our enemies… Al-Qaida justifies its murder by painting America as a nation at war with Islam. Celebrating our freedom of religion and Muslim Americans’ place in our communities is a blow to al-Qaida’s ideology of hate and division. We strengthen America by distinguishing, clearly and unequivocally, between our al-Qaida enemy and our Muslim neighbors.

He then goes on to quote George W. Bush making the (wild and crazy!) statement that the destruction of the Twin Towers were “acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith, and it’s important for my fellow Americans to understand that.”

Anyway, good on ya, Jeff.

Sarah Shay Mirk reported on transportation, sex and gender issues, and politics at the Mercury from 2008-2013. They have gone on to make many things, including countless comics and several books.

9 replies on “Jeff Merkeley on “Ground Zero Mosque”: Amen!”

  3. Right on Senator! But in the future, please avoid ever quoting GWB, that’s a guaranteed way to end up sounding like a complete and utter moron.

  4. @BB, I tend to disagree. I think surprising quotes from the people you’d least expect can be powerful rhetorical tools to display the common sense behind an idea.

    For instance, Republicans in Congress are trying to kill the reauthorization of the Earned Income Tax Credit to spite the Dems, but President Ronald Reagan called the EITC “the best piece of pro-family, anti-poverty legislation I have ever seen.”

  5. The Right has disavowed their adherence and allegience to Bush43. So trying to use a quote from him to prove a point to The Right is no longer a good tactical move. But whatevs. Right on Merkeley! This is the kind of message that needs to get said over and over and over again. Only through our empathy and compassion will we prove to those on the fence that our enemies are wrong.

  6. I cringed but I had to see what the commenters at Oregon Live wrote. Here’s none example,

    Redu: “You really need to get a staffer you can trust up to speed on Islam to brief you – and if you try to use a Muslim as a staffer to do that you are really an idiot. Placing a mosque near ground zero is as offensive as putting a nazi memorial at a concentration camp or a Japanese memorial at the Arizone memorial. It is legal, but tasteless and certainly does not demonstrate American standards of morality.”

    http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ss…

  9. I am not sure that the Ground Zero Mosque is near The World Trade Centre or really a Mosque. It is at least three blocks away on a street with strip clubs, bars, and off track betting. The plan I’ve seen it looks more like a Muslim YMCA. The whole thing is a manufactured distraction by the right to keep us from seeing they screwed over the 911 rescue and clean up people by refusing to pass a bill to help them.

    Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf eulogized Daniel Pearl:
    http://www.bj.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/…

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