Let freedom ring: President Obama & Ground Zero mosque

Citing the Constitution’s religious freedom principles, President Obama declared that Muslim leaders should be allowed to build a 13-story mosque two blocks from the former World Trade Center site.

President Obama explains, “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom should be unshakeable.” I cannot fault him for those words, very powerful. While I agree with his statement, and normally would agree with his position on religious freedom in accordance with the Constitution, there are additional circumstances that must be heavily considered.

The First Amendment does indeed guarantee the freedoms of assembly, religion, and religious expression. Without question, this amendment is fundamental to the core values of this nation. Idealists, such as President Obama, are not the only ones, however, who agree that the freedoms of religion, expression, and assembly are essential to the continued welfare of our society. Those of us who abide by an “orginalist” approach to the Constitution also realize how valuable religious freedom is to America.

These freedoms do not trump all, however, as many politicians like to claim. The Preamble to the Constitution states:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Perhaps the most essential function of our government is to provide for our security. Under normal circumstances, I would have no legal issues at all with Muslims building a 13-story mosque two blocks from Ground Zero. Sadly, these are far from normal circumstances. The leader that is orchestrating this project is a religious zealot who defends the actions of terrorist groups. Imam Feisal Abdul-Rauf is a “moderate” Muslim leader who founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA). On the surface it appears that Rauf is a peacemaker, but his comments, actions, and possibly funding say otherwise.

The United States government has a responsibility to check into Rauf’s political and/or religious background. While the First Amendment does guarantee religious freedoms to all citizens, all actions and activities stemming from these religious freedoms must remain peaceful. Republican “scare tactics” or not, national security is an extremely important issue for the 21st century. Our government must do due diligence in protecting our religious freedoms and borders alike. If we fail to do either, we are contradicting the wishes of the Founding Fathers and creating an unstable democracy.