As you may know Muslims have built mosques on the site of their greatest victories. Muslims in the eighth-century conquered Spain. As a monument to their victory they converted the Córdoba Cathedral, a major Christian church, into the Great Cordoba Mosque. Now they want to build a mosque very near to the site of the World Trade Center that was destroyed by Muslims on September 11, 2001.

The supporters of this project claim that it is not intended to celebrate their victory over the infidels. If that were true, why have they named the project Cordoba House? This is clearly a link back to one of the greatest victories of Muslims over Christians in Spain in 711 A.D. It is also the site of a terrible pogrom (massacre) of Jews in 1011 A.D.If the Muslims desiring a mosque near one of our most horrific terrorist attacks wish to be politically correct, they should call it something else. By calling it Cordoba House, they want all Muslims to know that this site honors their exalted martyrs of 9/11. I find the reference to the Cordoba insulting as it implies that the loss of our patriots at the Twin Towers was a victory for Islam. This was no victory; it was cold-blooded, calculated, terrorism and murder.I believe in religious freedom and the right to practice your religion as guaranteed by the Constitution. No religion should be permitted to glorify the terrorists who murdered almost 3,000 Americans; Christians, Jews, and yes, even Muslims. Building a mosque at the site of this tragedy is an abomination. As one person put it last week, "I will agree to a mosque at the site of the World Trade Center when Saudi Arabia permits a synagogue in Mecca".I was in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990's when we protected their country from Saddam Hussein (something I think they have forgotten). In Saudi Arabia, Christians are not allowed to build churches. To celebrate Easter, I had to go to a "bingo" game that was hosted by the "procurement officer" who, in real life, was a U.S. military chaplain. The laws in Saudi Arabia punish apostasy (conversion of the Muslim to another faith) by death. Clearly, there is no religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, and infidels are to be slaughtered. We want people of all faiths to be free to practice their faith in this country. But we cannot permit our nation to be insulted by a mosque near the Twin Towers site in New York. Please, move the planned mosque a few more blocks away from our hallowed ground.To those who constantly bombard us with statements that Islam is the religion of peace; they obviously have not read the Quran or the Sunnah. Here are a few quotes from the Prophet Mohammed that you may find interesting. They specifically reference the killing of infidels such as Christians and Jews:" Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. - 2:191""O Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. - 9:73""O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Those of you who make them his friends is one of them. God does not guide an unjust people. - 5:54"Does this sound like a peaceful religion to you? Should we permit them to build a mosque as a memorial to the terrorists who committed the worst case of mass murder in our history? To do so disparages the memories of those Americans who died on September 11 and insults their families.I'm also concerned about the ramifications of the growth of Islam as it relates to our laws. Shari'a law is the law of Islam. I believe that Islamic countries have the right to use Shari'a law to govern their land, the lives of their citizens and their faith. I strongly object to the use of Shari'a law in countries where other religions prevail.The Islamification of Europe has resulted in the imposition of Shari'a law in various forms. In Germany, Muslim men have used Shari'a law to enable them to beat their wives and to support their polygamy. In France, the government no longer controls the Muslim enclaves, called les banlieues. Here Shari'a law reins. If you enter the banlieues with Bibles, you may start a riot. In the United Kingdom, there are now five Shari'a law courts operated by the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal. These courts operate with the full power of the High Court, state courts and county courts. Two more official Shari'a law courts are set to open in the near future. In addition, there are 85 unpublicized Shari'a courts, that are run by the Imams. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196165/Britain-85-shari'a-courts-The-astonishing-spread-Islamic-justice-closed-doors.html).Let me get to the point. As Joey Vento (Geno's Steaks, Philadelphia) clearly states at every opportunity, "This is America". A hero of the Tea Party Movement, Joey's commercials on talk radio are an inspiration to many of us. His theme is the love of America and the American way of life. I can't put it as eloquently as he does, but this is his message: When you or your ancestors came here, it was to build a new life where freedom and justice was available to all. If you don't like America as it is, then return to your old country, don't remake the United States as a mirror image of the country you left.We have one law in the United States. If our Founding Fathers wanted Shari'a law, they would have incorporated it in the Constitution. As I write this, there is a movement to bring Shari'a law to the United States. The recent appointment of Harold Koh as a legal advisor to the Secretary of State causes me concerns. A supporter of the "transnational legal process", he believes that our Constitution should be interpreted using international "legal norms" including Shari'a law. (http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/03/obama-nominee-sees-no-reason-why-shari'a-law-would-not-be-applied-to-govern-a-case-in-the-united-stat.html).As Americans, it is our duty to ensure that our values are protected and preserved. We should prevent all attempts to have the laws of other countries, whether it is Saudi Arabia, France, Germany or Italy, incorporated into our body of law. If people wish to live under these laws, then they can emigrate to a country that has the laws they wish. "America: Love it or leave it".© 2010 - Gordon Smith, All rights reserved.