[Asclepius]

... Why not a mosque, a church and a synagogue? ...

Why only a moque, a church, and a synagogue? I demand a pagan basilica with a bronze image of Baphomet suspended above a black-granite alter. Why should I be excluded from this ecumenical display of unity and resolve?

[Ol' Sparky]

Why not a mosque? Because it is the Qu'ran and Islam that resulted in almost 3,000 deaths in the destruction of the WTC, so why honor the religion that inspired mass murder?

[Big Bunyip]

There are more than enough churches, temples and mosques (particularly mosques) in New York already. The best way to commemorate the WTC and the massacre's victims and heroes is to raise another temple to New York's real religion: Commerce and trade.

A soaring cathedral to capitalism -- that's what we need.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Building an inter-religious center on the site of the World Trade Center could be an important step in this direction. It would be a living testimony to the American conviction that secularity and diversity are not the enemies of faith, but are rather the very basis of spiritual strength and religious renewal.

Why build a memorial to religion? The monument destroyed was provate property run as a capitalist enterprise. It was Islamic religionists who destroyed it. Religionists did not build the original structures. It is Islamic religionists who are at war with Christians and Jews and Capitalists. Screw the idea or erecting a monument to Religion. Let the private sector do what it wants with the site. Let the Government get on with the business of destroying those who would destroy us. Let the religionists teach moral behavior in their own houses of worship away from our public space and our private property.

[Arkinsaw]

If you build a Mosque there then it will be the most popular Mosque in the US for adherents of the Blind Sheik, bin Laden, and every other fanatic Islamist. It would be Islamist fanatic Disneyland. Probably become their holiest shrine even over Mecca. Your average Muslim wouldn't be able to shove his way in the door for all the fanatics praying for Atta.

[Maceman]

Never, ever a Mosque!

Personally, the shrine I favor would be a missile silo with a nuclear tipped ICBM permanenetly targeted towards Mecca.

[habs4ever]

The author is so enraptured with his love for tolerance that he would have the gall to propose putting a Mosque on such a site? Maybe he would like to see an SS Legion hall built at Dachau as well.God save us from such idiots!!

[Cicero]

As several articles have pointed out, Muslims view mosques as symbols of prestige and conquest as well as places to worship Allah. A mosque at ground zero would NOT be viewed in the Arab world as a gesture of generosity and reconciliation, it would be viewed as a gesture of weakness on our part and victory on theirs. The purpose of a memorial at that site should be to honor the dead, not to make some kind of empty ecumenical gesture.

A good analogy is the different religions' understanding of martyrdom. For a Christian, martyrdom is a matter of sacrificing yourself for the sake of God, usually to avoid apostasy or sin. A similar idea of sacrifice can be found in Judaism. For Muslims, however, successful martyrdom means killing as many infidels as possible. Just dying yourself doesn't cut it.

Jesus conquered through the cross. Mohammed conquered with a sword. There's a fundamental difference in these religions.

[patent]

Man, if you built a mosque imagine the symbolism the Muslims would take from that. They have a long history of conquering other lands and building Mosques were other temples used to be. They saw the WTC as a cathedral to capitalism. So hey, lets volunteer to build a mosque in its place. We won't even make them conquer us first. What kind of idiot suggests something like that?

How vacuous can our culture get?

patent

[Servant of the Nine]

I am supporting Jonah Goldberg's suggestion that whatever the shrine is, it should be on the 200th floor of the new towers, right next to the anti aircraft emplacement.

So9

[watchin]

why not build a mosque at ground zero? 

Why not build a giant latrine???

An inter-religious center could serve for educational purposes, and the religiously specific chapels could be used for baptisms, confirmation ceremonies, bar and bat mitzvahs, and even weddings 

Along with bombings ... don't forget the suicide bombings at all of these blessed events. We can't leave the muslims out, you know.

And just imagine what it would be like for American Muslims, and Muslim visitors from abroad to visit such a shrine.

A real hoot, I'd bet. They would get their chance to dance on the grave of the infidel.

Building a mosque on the site would also send a message to the Islamic world about America

Yes, but why would we want to send the message that we're weak-willed losers who can be easily conquered? 

Maybe a few misguided Muslims would go there to praise Allah for his great victory in destroying the towers 

Ya think?? Judging from the number of moderate, tolerant islamic regimes worldwide, I'd guess that number might be slightly higher than the author thinks - say, a billion or so.

but I imagine the vast majority of American Muslims would go to simply offer prayers of gratitude that Allah, in his mercy, has created a place called America, where both freedom and faith can flourish.

Yeah, that's probably right. <gag>

[Caipirabob]

I have an idea: Let the owners of the property decide what they want to do with it!

[neutrino]

(Why not a mosque, a church and a synagogue?)

While we're at it, I believe we need a souvenier shop as well. We could sell pork BBQ sandwiches, BLT's, Ham sandwiches...and little plastic images of ol 'Hammed mounting his mare. Perhaps we could even provide a few items with inspirational sayings on them. One of my favorites is "There is no hog but allah, and mohammed is her pimp."

[clintonh8r]

Put the mosque in the sewer, where it will be more accessible to its constituents.

[Britton J Wingfield]

Why not just huge pit of hungry hogs to devour any terrorist we throw in?

[A.J.Armitage]

Building a mosque on the site would also send a message to the Islamic world about America

But it's exactly the wrong message. Mosques have always been used as a sign of dominance over non-Muslims. What they did to the Hagia Sophia, for example.

[Harrison Bergeron]

Recently, the History Channel ran a mini-series on the impact of ancient Egyptian religion on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It was noted that - in the M.E. - mosques are typically located directly on top of looted and destroyed temples and churches. In rare instances, the church (never a temple) still operates. The narrator glossed over the phenomenon as if this were a quaint custom, rather than sacriligious nose thumbing. The documentary never broached the subject of dhimmitude, the oppressive strongarming of Jews and Christians, or "people of the book" as moslems call us.

A mosque on the WTC site - situated neatly between a church and a synagog would become a tribute beyond the wildest dreams of the murdering jihadic terrorists who burned there along with thei victims. I could well imagine such a mosque becoming the new Mecca, right here on American soil. They may as well send up a white flag and build a mosque at the Pentagon.

[Godel]

Why not have a Nazi Flag and meeting center in a Jewish Holocaust museum. It's pretty much the same thing. Islam is a murderous ideology akin to nazism. It makes no sense to honor those who commit mass murder at the site their victims perished.

[vance]

A Mosque would be blasphemous.

[Jorge]

Building a mosque on the site would also send a message to the Islamic world about America, and our commitment to the freedom of religion.

I think I'm going to barf.