Much fuss is being made in the media about Cordoba House, the proposed Islamic Center in Manhattan that is sometimes referred to as the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’.  The cleric spearheading this project has been compared to extremists, fanatics, and terrorists like Osama bin Laden.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.  The truth is that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf represents the kind of much-needed civility that is unfortunately lacking in contemporary American public discourse.  Opponents who hear him are more likely to be offended by Imam Feisal’s liberal open-mindedness than his Islamic extremism.  I encourage you to let the man speak for himself, as he did in this TED talk:

Imam Feisal’s talk centered around the Charter for Compassion.  Learn more about this important document from the following video:

If what you just heard is making waves in your heart, please visit their website and consider signing the charter:

As a Christian, I fear for where we are heading as a country.  If we block the construction of Cordoba House, we will be taking our first small steps down a road that leads to holocaust.  We will be holding an entire religious group responsible for the actions of one small sect.  If there should not be a mosque near Ground Zero because of atrocities the committed there by Muslims, then neither should there be churches on Native American Reservations because of the atrocities committed there by Christians.

When we fight for the freedom of all faiths, we fight for our own freedom.