By Richard M. Thompson

The 1st Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right of all Americans the freedom of speech and the freedom to practice the religion of their choice without government interference. This amendment is the bedrock of our nation, for without this amendment the government could dictate what we read, what we say, what the content of our media would be and how we worship and whom we choose to worship.

The 1st Amendment cannot be usurped, it cannot be compromised to fit any political or social agenda, nor can it be circumvented in any way by anyone.

The building of the proposed Islamic Cultural Center in New York City, a few blocks from Ground Zero, has caused a tremendous amount of controversy across the nation. There are those who oppose the renovation of a building that once housed a Burlington Coat factory into a cultural center because they say it is too close to the site where the World Trade Center once stood. Because of the 9/11 attacks, opponents of the center claim that site is hallowed ground. The opponents agree that the owners of the site have the right, under the 1st Amendment, to renovate the building for whatever legal purposes they desire. They are blaming all Muslims, all 1.3 billion Muslims, for the actions of nineteen. That would be like blaming all white Christians in the country for the actions of the KKK’s murder of thousands of African-Americans from 1890s to the 1960s.

The center would be home to a swimming pool, basketball courts, meeting rooms, retail space and a mosque on the top two floors. The owners of the property have complied with all of the zoning laws of the city, passed all appropriate legal requirements of the city, and has received support from Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York. The center would be open to all of the residents of New York regardless of religious affiliation.

Muslims have the right to build a place of worship in a building they own because the 1st Amendment guarantees that right and no one can make them move their project from their current location just because of the sensitivity of a few opponents. How far should it be from Ground Zero? Six blocks, eight blocks?

To give in to the opponents would mean that the 1st Amendment has been compromised and whose religion would be next? Richard M. Thompson is a freelance writer and can be reached at thmpsnmic@gmail.com.