Ground Zero Mosque Debate Echoes Europe’s Fears of Muslims

Planning for an Islamic center, two blocks away from vacant lots that were once home to the World Trade Center, has been underway for months. The project steadily moved through an approval process until a handful of pundits and politicians raised public emotions by accusing planners of insensitivity. Changing demographics in Europe and the US ignite discomfort, fear, intolerance and extremist views. Debate about the New York proposal tests longstanding US support for religious freedom and follows patterns in Europe, where burqas, mosques and other religious symbols divide communities. Politicians struggle to balance democracy with constitutional rights for minority groups, with some finding the controversy a useful distraction from pressing economic or security issues. – YaleGlobal