Building a Mosque at Ground Zero

So so much ink has been spilled about the plans to build a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. (almost as much as being spilt about America's pursuing its objectives in Afghanistan.)

We all agree that free speech and free exercise of religion are constitutional guarantees that no one wants abridged.

Yet on the other hand, we must respect the families and the loved ones who died and still mourn the tragic loss of life.

Among those lost included many American citizens of the Islamic faith-which no one seems to consider. They, too, need to be remembered.

(And I recall calling on potential clients in Tenafly, New Jersey on September 13th and being greeted by teenagers at the door who told me matter of factly their fathers had not been home for two days! Naturally, I cried and immediately went home!)

The practical solution is to first let the public clamor die down. No clear decisions should be made on the spot. Then let the builders of the mosque present their case to the public as to why their facility needs to be built right there.

Next, in the spirit of compromise, if the builders still insist on building in lower Manhattan, they should, perhaps, consider another--less sensitive location-- that would defuse the public outcry and allow them to practice their religion.