Islam.. try being a neighbor willya?

With all the latest furor over all things Islam, I am compelled to weigh in on some of them in a longer rant than I can get on Facebook. It occurs to me as these things unfold that the problem with some of our Islamic brothers and sisters is that they have not learned how to be good neighbors. I have not read all of the Koran, but I have read some and in it I found no mention of that biblical precept of "Love they neighbor as thyself." Maybe it's there.. perhaps some D-School scholar will correct me on this.

1) The "Ground Zero Mosque." - To me, this one is a strong candidate for the "Love thy neighbor" concept. Yes you have a right to build a mosque there.. Hell you could legally build it on the ashes of the WTC if you could afford the land. But you shouldn't and here's why. Think of all the places of worship in the country that are NOT Muslim. Imagine if they all decided to put up banners saying something to the effect that "The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim." or "All Muslims are going to hell!" Or you pick your favorite derisive phrase. They would be perfectly within their rights to do just that. Yet they don't. You know why they don't? Because this country was built on religious freedom and respect for one's neighbors. Now one might say "well building a mosque isn't the same as putting up insulting signs." Well in the eyes of many, including the victims' families, it is.. In fact, in their minds, it's worse. Throughout this country there are Native American burial sites where it is ILLEGAL to build anything on or near. Because we have a great fear of the impending rebirth of the Cherokee or Souix nation? No.. it's because of respect for those people's beliefs and because we acknowledge their right to them . Like it or not, the guys who brought down the WTC and killed 3300 people on 9/11 were all Muslims and openly declared that they did what they did in the name of Islam. Period. So any action taken by Muslims in that vicinity will always be viewed in that light. And well it should. The citizens of New York and especially the families of the victims view the mosque as an affront to their beliefs. Frankly, that's good enough for me. Build your mosque or your "community center" somewhere else.

2) This Koran burning business - Now look.. for the record I am opposed to burning any books, especially religious texts. I am also against burning flags, churches, and ex-husbands' cars and clothes. I think that rev down in Gainesville has a point though. Muslims have been torching bibles, churches, and people pretty much since the birth of Islam. Fortunately they don't do a lot of it here in America.. Well maybe that's not so fortunate.. because I guarantee you that if Muslim students burned bibles or pissed on them like those kids in Australia did a couple of years back, no one would be offering much opposition to a guy wanting to torch a few Korans. But dammit this is America.. and both parties have equal rights to burn the other's holy books or other symbols. And none of us should care. The biggest problem I have with this story is what pussies the media has been about pointing out how regularly Muslims burn (or worse) bibles around the world. Instead they focus on one wack job pastor and his 50 person congregation as somehow symbolic of all Christians worldwide. Yet they bend over backwards every day to tell us that the idiots sawing off people's heads and blowing up children are "just a fringe group of Islamic radicals and no way indicative of all the practictioners of the religion."

What gives? I mean I get it.. Christians generally won't kidnap you and cut your head off or put a worldwide hit out on you for speaking outnegatively about them. Muslims will.. So I suppose I shouldn't be so hard on the mediots for not coming out too hard on Muslims.

Nah.. on second thought screw that.. You guys are cowards.