To Mosque Today

Or Not To Mosque

After the last two weeks of writing about dinosaurs, Cro-Magnons, Neanderthals and cave paintings and how they related, or not, to the Bible my plans for today is to try presenting a few more facts and maybe some fiction about the religion of Islam (Muslims). Let's start off with some information as to the number of Muslims there are in the world as compared to the United States.

The Religion of Islam (Muslims): Estimates of the total number of Muslims range from 0.7 to 1.8 billion (yes billion) world wide and from 1.1 to 7 million in the United States. We accept the best estimate as about 1.57 billion, as concluded by the Pew Forums. About 23 percent of all people on earth follow Islam and the religion is currantly in a period of rapid growth.

Christainity is currently the largest reigion in the world. It is followed by about 33 percent of all people -- a percentage that has remained stable for decades. If current trends continue, Islam will become the most popular religion sometime in the mid-twenty first century (by 2050 and some predict that it will happen by 2030). Note: Taken from "Religious Tolerance.org". Probably, none of us (readers or writers) will live to see that day but shouldn't we all strive to make a contributation, so as to leave this world a better place to be?

There is much contention, not only in New York City but throughout the United States and even in many parts of the world, about whether or not to build that Mosque so close to where "The Twin Towers" (a site that, to some, is Holy) stood before September 11, 2001 when a group of Muslems, later identified as "Al-Qaeda", hijacked two airplanes and flew them into the towers, completely destroying them along with over two thousand lives.
It has been reported by some in the news media that Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City may have crossed the line from merely supporting the building of a Mosque near this twin tower site to actively promoting that building which is or very close to violating the "Seperation of Church and State" clause in the First Amendment to the US Constitution especially as it has been interpreted by our highest courts. Note: Our Constitution doesn' forbid near as much as the court decisions imply. It merely states that: "Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there-of, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Also it has been stated on TV that one of the purposes for building the Mosque at that site was to make a point. In 691 AD the Mosque "Dome of the Rock" was built by "Caliph Abd el-Malik" on the Israelite "Holy Site" where two Israelite Temples had previously stood. Was that to make a point? Over 13 hundred years later that site is still a point of contention between Arabs and Jews.

One last thing which may or may not have anything to do with the rest of this posting but there has been questions arising from statements made by certain people as to why we are hated by al-Qaeda. It has been said that Osama bin Laden was created by our CIA. With that in mind, do you remember this? " According to ABC News Correspondent "John K. Codey", the Carter Administration allowed Shikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, later one of the conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, to come to the United States to recruit Arab-Americans to fight in Afghanistan against the Soviets (Wikipedia) or this about CBS News anchor Dan Rather: "During the invasion of Afghanistan, Rather was seen on camera wearing a traditional "Mujahadeen" headdress and garment while reporting from near the front lines. These reports helped Rather gain prominence with the evening news audience (and the nickname "Gunga Dan". (Wikipedia) Note: We were a part of that audience and remember his trekking through those Afgan mountains with a team of (what was known then as "Freedom Fighters") multi-national men known as "mules" importing arms, including shoulder fired missles, (some from the United States) to the front lines to be used against Russians. What happened to those so-called "freedom fighters" when the Soviets decided they couldn't win and went home? Did they just find another war to fight against another enemy?

Think about it and also think about what you can do to help make this world better. I don't believe it is to become a follower of Islam. Stay tuned, Thanks - William