Amongst the proposed Cordoba House’s purposes is to promote interfaith dialogue and to improve public understanding of Islam. I can forgive the ignorance of the crowd that is trying to stop the construction of the center. What I can’t forgive is the willfulness of the ignorance. The strange lack of interest in learning about Islam shows in every statement the band of loudmouth rabble-rousers make. Imagine if a group of Quakers tried to build a meeting house near a Muslim shrine. You could be sure that they’d be branded as Christian missionaries out to destroy Islam by many. The very same people that are now opposing the Cordoba House in New York would be yelping about the breathtaking ignorance of “The Muslims” and railing about such anti-Christian bigotry.

There is a scene in the movie “Borat” when the hapless crew is running out of money. His producer tells them they will need to get more money from Kazakhstan. Now this was a scene that I found unintentionally hilarious. I found it hilarious because there should only be such a thing as a government [...]