Do we really want a moderate Islam? Islam is not going to go away. We obsess over the radical Muslims who, clearly, are the enemies of America. But we do little to encourage and engage Muslims who want to be a functional part of America.

There is a huge uproar over the proposed development of a mosque and community center to be located two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center.  According to the New York Times, the center “would include a prayer space, as well as a 500-seat performing arts center, a culinary school, a swimming pool, a restaurant and other amenities.” The center will be open to the public. The group developing the project, the Cordoba Initiative, is headed by  by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a moderate Muslim leader who has been advocating a move to a more modern, tolerant, and, yes, peaceful version of Islam. (Slate’s review of his book ) Active in the Lower Manhattan area since 1983 and at the forefront of advancing interfaith relations,  Rauf is now being vilified because it makes some uncomfortable that a mosque might be located near Ground Zero.

The project first drew right-wing attention and explosive attack when it came before the local community board. Notably, the majority of the hubbub came from outsiders. The board “was flooded with hundreds of calls and e-mail messages about the proposal, most of them from outside New York, according to Julie Menin, the board’s chairwoman.”

National Tea Party leader, Mark Williams had a fit, claiming that Muslims “worship the terrorists’ monkey god.” Right-wing radio host Michael Berry exclaimed: “If you do build a mosque, I hope somebody blows it up… I hope the mosque isn’t built, and if it is, I hope it’s blown up, and I mean that.”

But the local community board, those who actually live and work in the community, approved the proposal.

Furthermore, this is private property, not part of the WTC area that is owned by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and which is to be developed, in part, as a memorial.  The owners clearly wish to develop their property in this way. The project is expected to create more than 150 full-time and 500 part-time jobs. Conservatives support property rights until they don’t want someone else to have them, I guess.

I understand that the families of the Sept.11 victims still suffer. It may sound harsh, but they simply do not have the right to never be offended and to hold veto power over anything and everything remotely connected to Ground Zero. They can be upset about it, they can feel it is disrespectful, but they don’t get to determine the entire future development of Lower Manhattan. Neither they nor anyone else has the right to impose their prejudices (sympathetic or not) on everyone else.

What do we do next? Tell Muslims they can’t live or work within a certain radius of WTC?