I just heard a piece on NPR about protests across America about the building of mosques. I'm sure anyone who doesn't live under a rock has heard about the controversy about building a mosque near Ground Zero. The president has weighed in and clarified his "weighing in." So I'm going to take a position. The opposition to the building of mosques in this country is simply wrong.
It grieves me that Americans can be so wrong-headed and wrong-hearted on this issue. I understand and agree that Ground Zero is holy ground; I sympathize with the hurt and anger of those who lost loved ones and agree that the burial place of those who died must be honored. I can't think of a better way to honor them than to extend a hand in friendship to moderate Muslims who seek a community center and place to worship, allowing them the freedom to exercise their religion in a land that is supposed to be free. I can't think of a worse way to honor them than to continue the cycle of violence through prejudice and hatred .
Islam does not = terrorism. Islam is not a cult. Islam is one of the 3 great monotheistic religions, which include Judaism and Christianity. Islam is not monolithic. Just as there are different denominations of Christianity and different forms of Judaism and Buddhism, so there are different types of Islam. Furthermore, fundamentalism and violence is not unique to Islam.
I hope Americans will take this opportunity to become more educated about Islam; I hope they will be compassionate toward Muslims; I hope they will not repeat the tragic mistakes we have made in the past toward people we viewed as "enemies" and wrongly persecuted.
About Me
- Karen Spear, PhD
- I am the director of the Center for Organizational Ethics and an assistant professor of philosophy at Marian University. I received my PhD in ethics from Vanderbilt University. I have an MA in religion and culture from Catholic University of America and a BA in political philosophy from Kenyon College. In addition to directing the Center for Organizational Ethics, I teach Human Nature and Person and Personal and Professional Ethics in the Theology/Philosophy Department and Business Ethics in the School of Business. Prior to coming to Marian University, I taught in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Indianapolis and worked as a research administrator at Methodist Research Institute, the biomedical research center for Clarian Health. Before settling in Indianapolis, I taught in the Theology Department at Valparaiso University in northwest Indiana and at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.
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