Ground Zero Mosque - Tolerance, Racism or Comedy?

This closely relates to the closed thread Obama supports Ground Zero mosque. Religious freedom or is he being too PC?.There is an email doing the rounds that asks the following: So is this a genuine and worthwhile dig at intolerance? Is it making a serious and worthwhile point? Is it anti-Islamic in nature? Is it just intended as a joke that shouldn't be taken too seriously?What do people think?

Surely that was intended as a joke to be shared among the bigoted.

I am inclined to agree in the sense that this blatantly targets Moslems.But is there a serious point regarding religious intolerance in there too?

There is a serious point in there, amidst the satire.The point is that Muslims in many areas of the world are the least tolerant folks around, yet here they demand that we be tolerant.Some folks get fed up with that.Here's a recent example: Taliban cuts off both feet of actress who was to star in Afghanistan film (New York Times, registration required).Additional examples are not hard to find.

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Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.

No serious point really. If any of the folk passing on the spam had ever been to New York they would know that gay bars and strip clubs abound.As usual, it is mostly just repetition of the vast body of misinformation out there.The proposed "Ground Zero" mosque is not a mosque and is not at Ground Zero.There is already a Mosque in the area and has been since before the Twin Towers were built.Religion is a protected area under our Constitution, Gay Bars are not.The email seems like the classic example of really ignorant folk trying desperately to make a funny.

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Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

It is an illustration in playing favorites. Are the same people suggesting that we open the same types of businesses near churches or synagogues in order to promote "tolerance"? Of course not.I remember a while back that there was a speaker who said that the "new atheists" shouldn't act like dicks. Perhaps the theists should take that to heart as well.

Oh come now, this is painfully obvious.The author is attempting to appear "wise" by suggesting that people very specifically do things to offend Muslims for no other purpose, because the author feels offended that the "Mosque" (which is of course not really a Mosque but is actually a community center, and is not actually located at Ground Zero, and which is farther away from Ground Zero than an actual Mosque that predates the existence of the Twin Towers...) is being built.Yes, it should be perfectly legal for gay nightclubs or pork butchers to open near a Mosque. Equal rights means that, so long as you get the proper permits and obey zoning laws, you can build whatever you want wherever you want. But the author isn't making an honest business suggestion, he's just trying to suggest a way to offend Muslims. He's suggesting harassment and trying to be funny.Just like most chain letters, this is just another dissemination of hate and lies. I'm sure the author thought he was being clever and funny, but he comes across as just another Muslim-hater.I understand that the author and a large number of Americans feel like Muslims are doing exactly that with the "Ground Zero Mosque" (fuck I hate our media for letting that wildly inaccurate and inflammatory designation stick), but I've seen no convincing argument that shows that the building of the community center was intended to harass or annoy anyone - the people who are offended seem to think that such intent is simply self-evident, as if any Muslim anything is in itself an inflammatory symbol on the level of a cross burning on your front lawn.And even if it were, two wrongs does not make a right - if you feel offended by a Muslim community center a short distance from Ground Zero, that does not give you the right to then seek to offend Muslims (well, ethically; legally you can do quite a bit of offending). You won't break any cycle of intolerance by being intolerant yourself.Okay, I;ve ranted. Stop sharing chain letters, they piss me off.

Repeat after me, Coyote -Responsibility for the actions of some or even many or most Muslims is not borne by all Muslims.Asinine backwards barbaric uncivilized cultural bullshit like amputations are correlated to local culture, not the religion, even when the religion specifically suggests such courses of actions. You don;t see Christians today burning witches in Western nations - only in culturally backwards barbaric uncivilized places like regions of third-world Africa. You don't see Muslims in the US seriously suggesting that we set up Sharia courts and pattern our justice system off of that of Saudi Arabia.Yes, we do get the occasional "honor killing" here in the US - as a cultural stowaway from people who immigrated from one of those backwards barbaric cultures.You will not reduce the amount of barbaric bullshit perpetrated by Muslims by getting "fed up," nor does being "fed up" give you the ethical right to then seek to intentionally offend Muslims as an entire group for the actions of a subset.The pure fact is, the imam behind the a-few-blocks-away-from-Ground-Zero-not-really-a-Mosque hasn't ordered anybody's hands or feet cut off. He and his congregation have not shouted "death to America." They have burned no flags, did not pilot any planes into any buildings, have created no IEDs, and have done nothing at all to earn your ire other than being Muslim and suggesting that a Muslim community center might be a good way to promote tolerance and mutual understanding.If you're targeting this specific project because you're "fed up," you're just taking out your frustrations on a convenient and unrelated target. Stop that.

That is my take on this too.This specific example is obviously been stirred up by some anti-Moslem hysteria. But we could make a wider point about religious intolerance by suggesting similar things be located next door to Christian churches or whatever.Personally I think all places of worship should be built next to each other and clumped together in a single location in an enforced act of theistic ghettoism. Let them fight it out between themselves I say.(For anyone not clear - That was intended as a joke)

Q: How can you tell a Christian from a Muslim?A: It's a trick question. You can't tell a Christian anything.I don't think you can teach people to be tolerant any more than you can teach them not to drink too much. It's something they have to learn on their own.

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"It appears that many of you turn to Hebrew to escape the English...." -- Joseppi

Sure. Abortion clinics come to mind. Or also gay bars. Hear hear! And make a television show out of it! That'll bring in the cash! What? Dammit!

In the email? No, I don't think so.Perhaps I am too cynical. But I see the email as pretending to make a point about tolerance only as a way to deflect criticism. I don't think it is sincere.

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Jesus was a liberal hippie

well i thouhgt it was funny, and intended to be funny. of course its low brow but that stuff is usually pretty funny.If you are reading into this then you take things too seriously.

I thought the e-mail was quite humorous. Though it was probably not meant to be a serious suggestion, I think the undertones are meant to point up the problems of intolerance.BTW, I really like this Theistic Ghetto idea. Ghetto has a rather negative connotation in this political environment however. If we are to get the township to set up zoning in which all theistic structures must be located then a less emotionally-loaded name must be found."Yes, we'd like to have this parcel re-zoned from Agricultural to Theistic, please.""I'm sorry. This area is within 15,000 feet of a school and cannot be zoned Theistic. The only Theistic zoning available in town is in the southwest quadrant between Heavy Industrial and Whore Houses."This idea has appeal.Edited by AZPaul3, : spilin, again.

Now you are talking!!! What a splendferous idea. Reality TV theism.A sort of theistic "Big Brotherhood" or "Theocracy Island" where we place a bunch of religious communities or individuals in an enclosed area or zone of some sort cutoff from the rest of the world for an extended period and then film what happens. Tasks and eliminations can take place to stoke the already inflammatory situation and then at the end we get to see which form form of theism is most popular and entertaining as voted for by the public. Quality TV if ever I heard of it.If this sells we can split the proceeds 50-50.Huntard - We are gonna be rich brutha!!!!