Don't forget who we are in WTC debate

With regard to the proposed mosque in the vicinity of the World Trade Center site, I think I understand the almost visceral negative reaction to this proposal. The underlying assumption about 9/11 that causes this response is that Islam was responsible for it, when, in fact, it was the perversion of Islamic teaching. Those who died in the WTC and in other places weren't murdered by Islam; they were murdered by a bunch of fanatical lunatics.

What if the proposal were to build a Catholic or Protestant church? The reaction most probably would be very positive for having a place of worship so close to the "sacred' site of the disaster.

To the degree that the "War on Terror" has caused our country to change, fostering both a willingness and legal basis for giving up civil rights in the interests of safety, they are already well on their way to winning. Let's not forget who we are, what we stand for and what has made this country so great for so long.

Charles Goodman

Bloomingdale