The United States of America, land of the free, the city on the hill, a shining beacon of liberty. Unless of course you're a Muslim, in which case (in the eyes of some leading Republicans) you don't qualify for such privileges.
Opposition to the 'ground-zero mosque' this week is almost unfathomably narrow minded, not least because no-one has actually proposed to build a mosque at ground zero of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The proposed building work under scrutiny is for an Islamic community centre to be built a good 2 blocks away from where the World Trade Centre once stood. Specifics aside however, the premise behind the argument against the new building is that Muslims were responsible for the 9/11 attacks therefore allowing an Islamic building close to the site of the attrocities is unacceptable and insulting to the families of those who lost their lives that day. Right. Noted. Understood.
But what have we learnt this week? A catholic priest played an active role in the 1972 bombings of the small Irish town of Claudy which took the lives of 9 people. Although they happened 29 years earlier and saw a significantly lower amount of people lose their lives, the Claudy bombings are comparable to 9/11 in one hugely poignant way; both were perpetrated by evil attempting to justify itself on religious grounds.
No-one blames the whole of the catholic church for the actions of Father James Chesney, so why is it justifiable to punish the whole of the Islamic faith because of the actions of a few Al-Qaeda members?
Lets put that in practical terms. Does Father Chesney's contribution to the Claudy bombings preclude any churches from being built in the town? Would doing so "stab hearts" Ms Palin? No, I didn't think so.
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