Don't Ask, Don't Tell At Ground Zero

From The American Thinker:

August 26, 2010


Don't Ask, Don't Tell at Ground Zero

By Stella Paul

Time for a quick refresher course for our itty-bitty-brained politicians: Why did bin Laden choose the World Trade Center as his target?





Three words, chumps: World. Trade. Center.





That's why raising a thirteen-story mega-mosque in the crowded alleys of the financial bulls-eye of the universe is not like erecting a convent near Auschwitz. Or a Disney theme park at Gettysburg. Or a Shinto shrine at Pearl Harbor, or any of the other analogies that have surfaced as the outraged American people struggle to explain how unbearably wrong this desecration would be.





This argument is not just about the sacredness of the site, but its centrality -- which is why it was targeted to begin with. Auschwitz is a remote town of 40,000 people in rural Poland. Gettysburg is a Pennsylvania countryside outpost of 7,400, and Pearl Harbor is a military base 2,500 miles from the American mainland.





The World Trade Center, on the other hand, was the world trade center -- smack-dab in the middle of Lower Manhattan, where the world's largest stock exchange trades $153 billion every day, with market capitalization of its listed companies at $12.25 trillion.





Even after the attacks, Lower Manhattan is the fourth-largest business district in the United States.





Pop quiz, President Obama: Which three American symbols did Osama bin Laden target on 9/11? In case you're too engrossed in improving your golf handicap to remember, I've got the answer right here: the Pentagon, symbol of America's military power; Congress, symbol of America's governmental power; and the World Trade Center, symbol of America's economic power.





Bringing down the symbols of American power was radical Islam's strategic opening move -- and now here come the others. Less violent, yes, but still a symbol ruthlessly designed to demonstrate Islamic supremacy.





That's why, Mayor Bloomberg, next time you host a dinner celebrating Islam's fabled contributions to New York, could you please toss a few questions at your honored guests, the imam of the Ground Zero Mosque, Feisal Rauf, and his lovely bride, Daisy?





How about, "Hey, Rauf, what's this I hear about the Muslim Brotherhood's mission in America, as documented in the Holy Land Foundation trial, to 'destroy Western civilization and 'sabotage' its miserable house from within ... so that it is eliminated and Allah's religion is made victorious over all other religions"?





"That's got nothing to do with you, right, Rauf? Even though you're backed by that notorious Muslim Brotherhood front group CAIR and Hamas?"





Or, "Daisy, honey, give me a quick explanation of this whole dawa thing. You're obligated to call people to accept the truth of Islam, is that it? You know, I did a quick Google search and found DawaNet -- and, wow, you guys really go all out! I mean you say, "We should use every opportunity ... to establish an environment in which everywhere a non-Muslim turns, he notices Islam portrayed in a positive way, is influenced by it and eventually accepts Islam with Allah's guidance, Insha Allah (if God wills)."





"So, Daisy, does dawa mean you're going to invite us all to prayer five times a day through an amplified sound system, starting at five a.m.? Couldn't happen, right? I mean, you're not going to broadcast prayers right over Ground Zero, so family members and patriots who come to pay their respects to the victims will hear you blaring praise to Allah? I mean, those were probably the last sounds heard by the people on the planes."





Or, "You know, Rauf, I think I might have heard a rumor or two about Europe having trouble with Muslims living there. Sounds crazy, I know! But still, I did hear a little buzz about Jews being attacked on the streets in Sweden and France and Amsterdam...Jews abandoning the town of Malmo...and emigrating in droves from France to Israel."





"Rauf, you do realize we have Jews working downtown? I mean, when a thousand Muslims come together in the heat of prayer to thank Allah at Ground Zero, they're all going to feel sweet and calm and happy when they swarm the streets after, right? They'll certainly respect the safety and dignity of Jews they pass on the street, won't they? This won't be like Antwerp, right?"





"And of course, Rauf, you do know we have women working downtown? They pretty much all expose their faces and sometimes a lot more. But thousands of excited visitors to the Ground Zero Mosque would never roam the streets, gang-raping girls like they do in Sydney and Sweden, right? After all, women are a big part of our economic success here in New York."





"And Daisy, this business I read in the Washington Post about no-go zones where police are afraid to tread. ...The Post says, 'Night after night, youths armed with rocks, sticks and gasoline bombs have confronted police and set cars, businesses, government buildings and schools on fire ... The worst unrest in France in recent years has paralyzed the government. ... Some of the violence has been devastating. On Wednesday night, youths firebombed a bus here with the passengers inside.'"





"Now please tell me there won't be any funny business with buses and trains, like there was in London and Madrid. This Times Square bomber really got my goat when I realized he wasn't protesting health care. I have your word, right?"





But, alas, Mayor Bloomberg and President Obama will never ask these questions or any others, except "How can I help? Please, what can I do to make you more comfortable?"





Stella Paul blogs at StellaPundit.