In mid-July, the press was buzzing about an American Muslim group that wanted to build a 15-story community center, the Cordoba House, in Lower Manhattan (here’s one article link).
Now, if I said nothing else about that, and you knew nothing of American history over the last decade, this may seem completely innocuous. However, there are some religious, social, and political groups who think it is in bad taste for these Americans to build this center of prayer and community support so close to the site of the World Trade Center buildings that were lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (a.k.a. “9/11″).
Why? It’s all because the 9/11 terrorists claimed to be motivated by Islamic purposes. They seem to have ignored the fact that faithful Muslims around the world have tried to dissociate themselves with these violent extremist groups, much in the way many Christian groups in the U.S. try to dissociate themselves with radical groups who bomb abortion clinics.
Unfortunately for the Libertarian Party, one of our most enthusiastic Libertarians, Wayne Allyn Root, is one of those who stands in solidarity with these “bad taste” activists. In one of his regular emails to the Root for America mailing list, Root said, “there are also the rights and sensibilities of others to consider in a free society… To build a celebration of Islam within steps of 9/11 does nothing to increase religious freedom…it inspires hatred, divides our cultures, and increases the odds of violence and hate crimes.”
I would like to say, as an individual and a Libertarian, that this is very much NOT a common Libertarian viewpoint. Muslims in American have all the same rights as those of any other culture or faith: life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. Activists like Root are seeking to discourage, or even to stop, a group of Americans from exercising those rights simply because they deem the location choice an “insult.”
Root clarifies his position that “if this is privately funded by parties with no ties to a foreign government, …we have enough people in this country who are offended by the prospect… that the money can be raised to buy this land at a fair price from the owners.” I’m glad Root is expressing that it’s the individuals and economic forces rather than the government that could implement change here. However, I am appalled that he would encourage this behavior.
I’m also appalled that Root would see the funding source of the project as the determining factor as to whether the government should block these Americans’ rights. Root claims that if the funding source is a foreign government or religious group, then “the idea of this being an issue of religious freedom is a sham and an argument can be made that our Constitution would actually prohibit this mosque from being built.” The fact is that the Constitution is on their side in Root’s argument, not his. These individuals are Americans, each with his/her own rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights should be protected under the Constitution *per individual* until such time as that individual has violated the rights of others. The source of funding for the project is irrelevant here.
Mr. Root: you have a right to feel offended and to express your opinion, but you do not have a right to take away ANY Americans’ rights life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness if they have violated no laws.
