Those of us who have been following the drama unfolding in the media over the proposed mosque in New York City have come to the conclusion that the issue has more to do with politics than religion, where Islam is being used in midterm elections by groups on the far right. Bankrupt of constructive agenda, these groups are spreading fears of terrorism as if 9/11 is happening again if the mosque is built next to ground zero.

Take the example of Mark Williams, former spokesperson of the tea party movement, who said the mosque is the “place where the jihadists worship their monkey God.” He was followed by Sarah Palin, who attacked the project, followed by Newt Gingrich, who compared Muslims to the Nazis and said they must not be allowed to build on ground zero. Much earlier, evangelist Franklin Graham described Islam as “evil” and a “hatred” religion. Most recently, he appeared on CNN to repeat derogatory statements and, while holding Time magazine with the picture of an Afghani woman with a deformed nose, pointed out that her husband who damaged her face was following Islamic teaching. How absurd for a religious leader to be so irresponsible, so provocative and so misleading.

In short, Islam is seen as a fallen cow where every butcher wants to take a stab at it. And to add insult to injury, a group from the far right is planning a day of burning copies of the Koran (the Muslim holy book) on Sept. 11 in Florida. Imagine if these vicious attacks were directed against Judaism or Christianity; the picture and the debate would be entirely different.

The far right always managed to turn the elections into one single and emotional issue such as fear of terrorism, immigration, abortion, gay marriage, and the president’s birth and faith at a time when the country is facing catastrophic problems that require our total focus and national unity. And if the promoters of the mosque decided to change their mind, the far right won’t have a tree to bark at. But this will not be a victory for the opposition. It will be a defeat for freedom of religion as guaranteed by the Constitution and as envisioned by the founding fathers.

The anti-Islamic propaganda is creating unfounded fears among Americans and sending the wrong message to the rest of the world – including the 1.5 billion Muslims – and it will play into the hands of terrorists who would love to say: you see, America hates Islam, and you must join us in the fight. This is happening at a time when we are trying to repair our relations after they were broken during the Bush administration and following two devastating wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The current administration has come to a smart realization that terrorism cannot be defeated by wars and by alienating 1.5 billion Muslims, including 6 million in the U.S. The fact is that we can’t hold all Muslims responsible for crimes committed by the few who attacked us on 9/11. We need all the moderate Muslims on our side if we ever want to win the war. That is precisely the purpose of the proposed mosque. This should bring comfort to the families of the 9/11 victims, who included some Muslims. Unfortunately, the message was lost on the anti-Islamic movement.

The anti-Islamic movement is not new in our history. It was preceded by anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-Mormon, anti-Japanese and other minorities we did not like or feel comfortable with their beliefs or lifestyles.

Before the proposed mosque in New York City, Muslims always faced difficulties obtaining approval for any location they chose because the same groups always organized the same opposition under false and unreasonable claims. For Muslims, it is not ground zero but “zero” acceptance by the Islamaphobes in the country of the free.

We need to step back and separate the truth from the state of confusion we face. This requires cool-minded leaders who will lead the way to better relations among all citizens so we may project the best of America where tolerance, understanding and accommodation can and will prevail.

Now, will the wise men among us please stand up?

FAROUK M. HAMOUI

Fort Wayne