Sept. 11 Garden

In light of the tension witnessed over the issue of building a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it appears that the issue will not be resolved with a Muslim victory and the building of the mosque.

This issue is not a football match that you can take part in and leave victorious by way of points scored. The existence of the mosque will be a source of incitement and lead to the promotion of hate. There is no doubt that any initiative that seeks to alleviate this tension will work to reduce the suffocating conditions and divisions in American society.

The transformation of the location of the planned mosque into a garden, for example, would carry a closer and more touching message to the souls that still harbor pain from a past we did not create, but rather on that was created a few evil individuals who claim to be Muslim. Those individuals went so far in their crimes as to reach the point where their crimes provoked hate and racist opinions. It is up to the Muslims in America to demonstrate the highest levels of calmness and self-restraint, which are values shared by all religions.

The existence of a garden or memorial museum at that site would be a smart message and practical solution to the issue. If some find a mosque minaret to be a reminder that those who perpetrated the attacks of Sept. 11 were Muslims, then it would be best for us not to provoke them. The law will support Muslims calling for the building of the mosque. However, turning away from building at this specific site serves the greater interests of the American Muslims, rather than turning the site into a center for tension or a target for future acts of revenge.