Nine years and, more often than not, it seems like nothing has changed. It seems like none of us have learned anything. I have a hard time sorting out my own opinions and feelings about this, so I guess it's no surprise that the country, in general, seems to be in the same place.
We have one wingnut pastor in Florida who has managed to enrage the entire world with his ignorant attempt to gain his own fifteen minutes of fame. I certainly don't condone what he had planned, and may still, do. I feel that burning the Koran is offensive, regardless of what religion (if any) you subscribe to. But on the other hand, would Christians riot and threaten every kind of violence if a cleric in the Middle East planned to burn Bibles? Probably not. We should be calling for a stop to this stunt because it's the right thing to do. Not because we have to fear the backlash.
And then there's this planned Mosque near Ground Zero that seems to be moving ahead despite overwhelming opposition to its being built at that location. The Imam says that it's all about "mutual respect" and "building bridges." His refusal to even consider other locations tells me that it's about anything but respect. He says that it could anger the Muslim world if they cave to American pressure, so to speak, and agree to build the mosque elsewhere. He has a point there and I'm sure he's right - the backlash could be bad. But again, the line seems to blur. Is it a matter of doing the right thing, or tiptoeing around Muslims?
Sometimes it's hard to tell.
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