Religious Freedom in America Includes Everyone
By Alex Howard for The Pueblo Chieftain
One of the fundamental freedoms we enjoy as citizens is to worship in whatever manner we want to and wherever we want to.
There are virtually no restrictions on this freedom, even when a particular exercise of a belief might be illegal for the general public. Within the scope of religious expression, even the use of drugs can be legitimate. For example, the use of peyote, a hallucinogenic cactus, is legit for members of Native American communities but illegal for the rest of us.
Moreover, the freedom of religion principle extends well beyond what most people think of as acceptable.
While all the mainstream religions are represented within the military services, we also find niches carved out for not-so-common expressions.
Wicca, also known as witchcraft, druidism, paganism and other names, is officially recognized by the United States military as a legitimate form of religious expression.
So, what I’m saying is that the freedom of religious expression is wide-ranging and as diverse as the citizenry in America. Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Rastafarians, Sikhs, Scientologists, Baha’i and all the others have their places in the worldwide religious worship palette, including here in America.
And I’ve named just a few religions. There are many more, some with which our culture has no familiarity despite a large number of adherents.
So, what should we think when a group of citizens objects to the construction of a place of worship by a religious group? We’d have to wonder whether that basic freedom of religion has some kind of limits, wouldn’t we?
Yet, this is exactly a discussion that’s taking place in New York City right now. A group of Muslims that has been using a building not too far from the site of the former World Trade Center for religious and cultural purposes wants to demolish it and build a new mosque and cultural center.
Survivors and family members of victims of the terrorist attack are not happy. The general feelings they express are of anger and unresolved emotional pain over the death of family members, friends and co-workers.
They blame (accurately of course) the attack on those who flew the airplanes and their co-conspirators. Sadly, however, the anger at the attackers has been enlarged to include Muslims in general.
That being acknowledged, prejudicial and misguided as it is, the discussion is taking on the aura of denial of the freedom of religious expression. What those objecting to the construction of the mosque seem to have ignored is that the Muslims who want to build it are American citizens, some of them second- or third-generation Americans.
These are not people who are trying to establish a radical, wacko religious cult on foreign soil. They’re Americans exercising their freedoms, just as you and I are free to do.
Should the pain of those who lost loved ones in the villainous attack on the WTC hold sway over the decision to build the mosque near that site? I don’t think so. Otherwise, any group with an emotional connection to an event could claim the right to object to some other religious building. American Muslims have just as much right to freedom of worship as other Americans. To think otherwise is, well, un-American.
-Alex Howard is a retired Episcopal priest.
Pakistanis for Peace 
Terrific article. Highlights what is possibly the greatest strength of our nation. As far as the Cordoba effort to build a masjid near Ground Zero, I don’t think it shouldn’t be built, but I do think it shows a great deal of insensitivity, regardless of whatever positive goals are intended. I think the solution is greater communication and building ties with the community.
I agree with you Saladin. The goals should be to be inclusive and not divisive. It does show some insensitivities and maybe a lack of communication is to blame on the part of the organizing committee. Certainly better PR was in order about the whole thing and maybe they should have met with people who opposed and hammered out some consensus. Nonetheless, America is the land of religious freedom and was founded for that purpose so this author is correct, it is freedom of religion for everyone and always should be. Thanks for your comments and for visiting our site!
it is also the right of americans to protest against something they don’t like, even religion..the constitution states the freedom of religion and the freedom FROM religion and right now, like it or not, islam is a religion that americans do not trust and they have ample reason to……They see women being stoned to death and not extended even the basic human rights is Islamic Muslim countries …They see Muslim countries trying to legislative a universal blasphemy law through the UN…They see demands in their public schools to accommodate Muslims religious beliefs, they see Christian ministers ostracized for praying in Jesus name, they see Muslims demanding the segregation of their public swimming pools and gyms to accommodate their religion …They see shariah law implemented in Britain and the advocating for the same in the US (by the imam for this “community center” who also blames america for the 9/11 attacks)….. They see Muslims demanding that their women have the “right” to cover their faces in public regardless of the fact that no one else has the “right” to do this….and then you wonder why we don’t trust this to be “community center”
The “freedom of religion and the freedom from religion”- The freedom of religion we all understand. As far as the freedom from religion, that means that we will not be required to have religion inside our schools, government, and other official places. We shall have a separation between the church and the state. That’s what it means ‘freedom from religion’. Not, “hey, who do we not like currently, which religious group, and lets take away their constitutional rights because we have the ‘freedom from religion.’
We do have every right to speak out our fears about a particular religion or declare something about a particular prophet or religious figure. The freedom of speech allows for that, thank God and always should. But denying one particular religious a permit to build a building while allowing all others in the area, is utterly discriminatory, unconstitutional and most importantly un-American and goes against all the principles that America was founded upon!