I’m not going to say “only in America” because there’s no real way of knowing which country would be so tolerant given the sensitivity of the location, but today is a great day for American religious tolerance. Allowing the mosque makes perfect sense, even if it’s near Ground Zero. The mosque represents Islam and you cannot hold the entire religion and it’s 1.5 billion adherents responsible for what a fringe fanatical group did on 9.11. Here’s the NY Times news brief: “After a protracted battle that set off a national debate over freedom of religion, a Muslim center and mosque to be built two blocks from ground zero surmounted a final hurdle on Tuesday. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9 to 0 against granting historic protection to the building at 45-47 Park Place in Lower Manhattan, where the $100 million center would be built. That decision clears the way for the construction of Park51, a tower of as many as 15 stories that will house a mosque, a 500-seat auditorium, and a pool. Its leaders say it will be modeled on the Y.M.C.A. and Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.”
