Ground Zero Mosque and Sharia Law

The national debate over the Mosque at Ground Zero has stirred up the kind of public interest that goes well beyond the mosque itself. It is more than feeling the need for sensitivity and respect for the 9/11 Families who oppose its location. As the issue grows from a local to a national debate, more people are voicing their views; more information is coming to the surface about the Imam and the people involved in the plan; more political finger-pointing and name calling are happening; more heated emotions are swelling; more concerns of where the money to build this mosque will come from, and more information about ‘Sharia Law’ and the message of hatred for all the ‘Infidels’ is surfacing.

During the past 9 years after 9/11, there has been public suspicion of Muslims boarding planes, trains, buses or just walking in the neighborhood. He or she who dressed in Muslim garments might be a terrorist. But, most Americans were not really interested in learning about the Muslim faith. The goal was to stop future attacks by Islamic terrorists. It is clearly the extensive discussion of this Mosque at the Ground Zero that has brought attention to the Islamic faith, its laws and its followers, especially in the Western world.

Americans are witnessing the reintroduction of Sharia Law and it is growing in popularity within Muslim countries. In Western countries like England, Germany, France, India, Spain, as the Muslim population grows within their borders, the introduction of Sharia family law is being demanded by the leaders of Muslim communities. (Muslim Arbitration Tribunal in Britain: “There is no reason why principles of Sharia law, or any other religious code, should notbe the basis for mediation,” said Britain’s top judge.)

The belief of American-Islamic leaders that the jurisprudence of Sharia Law must take precedence over the American civil courts in American-Muslim communities is something that must be seriously considered for it will shake American democracy to its core. Simply said, Americans are horrified by the barbaric beheadings and martyr suicide bombers, the definition of Islamic crimes and their rightful punishments, the treatment of women, the hatred and stone killing of homosexuals, and the total lack of tolerance and hatred of Christians and Jews. This tribal law is the antithesis of our democratic principles.

It appears that of all the questions the public is beginning to ask about Sharia Law, the most important ones seem to be: Can a Muslim be a true follower of Islam and not believe in or follow Sharia Law and will this mosque’s leaders promote violence and terrorism on the same grounds terrorism prevailed? The answers are critical in understanding and determining whether there is a real danger to the American way of life from the quickly growing Muslim population in the US and if this Mosque’s Iman will in fact preach the ways of Sharia.

Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy will soon be publishing a study that will show that only 20% of the mosques in the US have no outward signs of Sharia and their message is one of peaceful worship and co-existence. The other 80% are houses of violent Sharia teachings and promote Jihad in its most violent form. It seems that Iman Feisal Abdul Rauf has a history that clearly suggests that Park51 will be part of the 80% statistic, not the 20%. Therefore, should this mosque be built at Ground Zero, its American supporters will have permitted Iman Rauf to create a huge symbol of Islamic conquest and a center that will become a stronghold for terrorist activities in America. It is very obvious from his past commentary, the lack of transparency about the funding, along with the staunch resistance to changing the location that is the true indication of his intention. Iman Rauf is not a moderate and Americans are quickly finding that out.