Whats happening to the world: O'Reilly, The View, and "The Mosque"

This is a complicated post. And I hope people read this and respond with politeness and courtesy to every one's opinion and every one's feelings.

With that out of the way, let's get started.

Yesterday, Bill O'Reilly of Fox News was on "The View," and in his effort to explain his opinion as to why President Obama was struggling in his approval rating, a fiery argument brook loose in which Whoopi Goldberg & Joy Behar stormed off the set when O'Reilly let loose that "Muslims killed us on 9/11."

Watch his response and commentary to the events during his own show.



There are many things that are wrong about what O'Reilly said during "The View." First, while he is fundamentally right about Muslims attacking the United States and killing Americans on 9/11, he is inappropriately labeling the entire Muslim religious community as haters of America and terrorists. The majority of Muslims, and the Islamic religion as a whole, is a extremely peaceful religion. It is the extremely small sect of that religion that is violent and hateful, and has given the religion a horrible name.

During his commentary on "The O'Reilly Factor," O'Reilly asks us if "Japanese extremists" attacked us. And the answer is no. Japan attacked us. Japan was an entire nation, and its government choose to enter into war with America by bombing Pearl Harbor. The islamic extremists (and I refuse to capitalize their title, even though it may be "grammatically correct" because they refuse to acknowledge other societies and cultures so I refuse to honor them) that attacked us on 9/11 are in no way connected to the remaining Islamic community. They do not do the bidding of a central Islamic government. Comparing World War Two and 9/11 is inappropriate and a pathetic attempt by O'Reilly to overstimulate a discussion that has already spiraled out of control.

Onto the point about the Muslim Community Center and Mosque being built near the former Twin Towers: I am for its completion as quickly as possible. I agree with the President, and most likely the vast majority of Americans that its construction is legal and they have the right to do it. I disagree with the "70%" or Americans, according to O'Reilly's CNN Poll that believe it is not right to build the mosque. Whoopi Goldberg stated on "The View" that there were many Muslim families that lost a family member on 9/11. To add to this, I am positive that there was at least one Christian one died on 9/11 who had at least one Muslim friend. The reason I believe that many people dislike the idea of building a Muslim Community Center and Mosque near "Ground Zero" is that they are uneducated about the Muslim religion.

There is nothing wrong with that. There is something wrong, however, with refusing to learn about the Muslim religion. There is never an excuse to be mean to someone.

Let's be hypothetical for a moment. Let's say that Christian Americans blow themselves up in the middle of a crowded business building in the middle of a large city in a primary Muslim country. Several years later, Christians want to build a community center and church two blocks from the site of the attack. Should they be allowed to build it? Would you, as a Christian, want it built? Would you, as a Christian, be upset if the mainly Islamic community was outraged that you wanted to build a Christian church so near their holy site?

Think about this, then rethink your own opinion about the Muslim Community Center and Mosque being built near the former Twin Towers.

And also consider the fact that the Mosque portion of the building is already in use, and has been for some time.