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'Let stop the hate'

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3:33 PM Wednesday, September 1, 2010

When I first heard of a mosque being built at Ground Zero, my first reaction was “Why there?”

I understood that it seemed a bit more than unusual, or even just plain senseless, that a mosque would be built where almost 2,800 people died at the hands of Muslim extremists.

Then I learned more. It was not a mosque, per se, but a community center in an old abandoned building. And it was not at Ground Zero, but a couple blocks away, not even visible from Ground Zero.

But, regardless of what and where it is to be, the hate machine has started rolling again. Now the same people who were saying that they wanted our country to go back to the principles it was founded on ... want to keep this from happening. They want to take away the right of Muslims to have a place of worship in that community center.

Our country was founded on freedom of religion, and you cannot change that. Freedom of religion is in the First Amendment. The Constitution protects things that we hold dear, and, things we may not like.

Many argue that it should not be so close to where a terrorist attack occurred that was carried out by Muslim extremists. OK, with that in mind, no churches within a certain distance of abortion clinics that have been bombed by Christian extremists. No Catholic church within a certain distance of where the Oklahoma City bombing took place. We, as Christians, fail to look at what some of our own have carried out in the name of God.

We are the envy of others because of our freedoms, and we must act like the type of nation that deserves that envy. Bigotry and intolerance should not be tolerated. That is not the America that I was taught that we live in.

We are in a tough time in this country. I remember learning in history that united we stand, divided we fall. But certain factions are trying to divide us. Dividing us by religion, color, national origin and political beliefs. Let’s stop the hate and mend this country. And let’s win back the envy of all the others.

Jason Grubb

Middletown

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