An Examination of the Position of Imam Rauf

Muslims fall into basically four categories:

1. Those who separate Islamic law from Islamic spirituality. This is a similar approach of a modern-day Christian or Jew who has no intention of applying the Book of Leviticus in modern-day legal systems. Muslims, Christians, and Jews who separate religious law from modern law have no intention of stoning women to death.

2. Those who wish to apply Islamic law by violent means.

3. Those who wish to apply Islamic law by peaceful means. These people try to slip Sharia law into the legal system, first as an alternative law system, with separate Sharia courts, then to phase out any competing legal systems once the Islamic population of the nation reaches critical mass, as is occurring in Europe.

4. Those who fall into group 2 but fake belonging to group 3. This group is represented by the many Muslims along the east coast who formed the network through mosques which planned the September 11 attacks.

Those in group 1 are the only ones who can be supportive of the U.S. Constitution while remaining Muslim. All others make themselves enemies of the Constitution and are a potential threat to national security.

Judging him by his own words, Imam Rauf falls into category 3.

I feel Imam Rauf sees the positioning of the mosque as a means of promoting the law code of his god above the laws of humans as determined by the American system. His own words indicate this.

The bridge he wishes to build between Americans and Muslims is to make Islamic law palatable to American non-Muslims.

Islamic resentment of Americans is what caused the attack on the WTC, and it is insulting to first turn this the other way around to make the victims the perpetrators, then plant a mosque as close as possible to the place of destruction to say that the victims should submit.

I cannot verify this, but I feel a majority of Muslims, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, probably fall into category 3. I think it is difficult for most Muslims to separate Islamic law from Islamic spirituality.