Opinion: Time for a Mosque 'Beer Summit'?

(Aug. 17) -- The polarizing conflict over the proposed Islamic Cultural Center in lower Manhattan has become as nasty as it is unnecessary. If leaders on all sides managed to address the dispute in a broader perspective, it ought to become obvious that Americans actually agree on both of the key issues in the debate.

First, the public overwhelmingly acknowledges the right of Muslims to worship without harassment or interference, and to enjoy the same religious liberty as Christians, Jews or non-believers, for that matter. No prominent voices among opponents of the so-called "ground zero mosque" have suggested that Muslim religious institutions should be banned altogether, or even restricted from prominent sites elsewhere in Manhattan.

Second, big majorities of every ideological orientation clearly agree that the proposed location of the new Cordoba House is ill-advised, and that a change of plans would advance the inter-group understanding that the organizers of the center say they desire.

What prevents the various parties to this battle from cutting through the multiple misrepresentations and misunderstandings to reach a meeting of the minds that would benefit everyone? The New York Times reported that Imam Rauf and his fellow organizers of Cordoba House previously secured property on 23rd Street, far enough from the contested ground zero site to end the current controversy, but their funding plans fell through.

The refusal to revisit and revive these prior intentions, with new cooperation from some critics of the current site at 51 Park Place, raises serious questions about the message the 13-story, $100 million project means to convey.

Does the insistence on a contested site near ground zero reflect an effort to deny the obvious connection of Islamic ideas (albeit in a twisted form) to the bloodiest terror attack in U.S. history? The territory in lower Manhattan bears only one significant and specific connection with Islam and Muslims: the horrific attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The unshakable determination to build a huge facility celebrating Islamic heritage adjacent to the very site of one of the darkest days in Muslim (and American) history seems ill-considered and self-destructive. Politicians like Mayor Michael Bloomberg have also complicated the situation with their implication that any opposition to the siting of the project must amount to some form of shameful religious bigotry.

Ironically, President Barack Obama's stumbling and belated involvement in the controversy might ultimately point the way toward effective and popular resolution.

In his Friday night speech to an Iftar dinner celebrating the month of Ramadan, Obama initially endorsed the right of Muslims build a mosque on their own property, and only the next day questioned the wisdom of actually exercising that right on the specific property in question.

If the president went one step further, joining New York's Gov. David Paterson in offering his good offices to find a less contentious location, he could turn a political liability into a major achievement -- fulfilling the role of unifier and peacemaker he promised during his presidential campaign.

Time for another "beer summit?" In deference to Muslim sensibilities, the White House will skip the alcohol, but ought to welcome conversation to replace confrontation. Most Americans would welcome an obvious compromise that honors both sides to this dispute. Yes, build the mosque. And yes, find a less-controversial location.