Just as I feared, the anti-Muslim fomenting of Newt Gingrich and others has already incited hatred nationwide that has resulted in the arson of a planned Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Glenn Greenwald has an insightful post about this tragedy here that highlights relevant background information such as Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Rasmey’s unjustifiable beliefs about the threat of Sharia law supplanting the Constitution around the country. As Greenwald points out, the threat to our nation is not American citizens of the Islamic faith; it is American citizens intolerant of anyone with beliefs that differ from theirs who have been driven into a frenzied rage by the statements of Newt Gingrich and other respected political figures to the effect of, “There’s no reason for us to accept a mosque next to [insert your neighborhood here].” When these statements are made by those with full knowledge that our Constitution protects these citizens’ rights to worship, it shows a reckless disregard for one of our country’s founding principles, famously stated by John Adams: We have “a government of laws and not of men.” The result, vigilante acts attempting to impose the primacy of one religious class over another, was as clear to Newt Gingrich when he made those comments as it is today as Mosques and Qurans burn across the country.
The irony of all of this is not lost on me. Here I am, arguing not that respected political figures should be barred from making such statements, but that they should refrain from doing so because they might, and indeed have, incite unnecessary violence. This is the exact argument being made by those who oppose the construction of the Times Square mosque. However, the fundamental difference in my mind is the intent of each party and the impact of their respective actions. Those in the Muslim community in New York aren’t building an Islamic center to provoke others who do not share their beliefs; they are building an Islamic center to practice their faith. When the Mosque is built, the November elections pass, and the headlines fade, all that will be left will be a community of Americans with different beliefs coexisting with each other as a testament to the values that make America impervious to the extremists who attacked us. Political figures who advocate for the ostracization of American Muslims, however, do so to provoke a reaction and influence the upcoming election. The ramifications of such fear mongering will be felt long after November, and all that will be left will be an internalized religious conflict that will serve as a lasting example of the effectiveness of terrorist attacks in destroying what truly makes this America.
I’ve visited Murfreesboro on more than one occasion. It is a small, beautiful town at the heart of Tennessee. (Literally, it is the exact geographic center of Tennessee.) Some might say it is the heart of the “real America.” But that heart is being hardened by those who would cast aside our longest-held beliefs for fleeting political gain, and it grows black with the ashes of a Mosque burned in fear.
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