Iranian born Terrorism expert Amir Taheri writes that a mosque or "cultural center" near Ground Zero resembles a structure from Islam's bloody history called a rabator forward military post. He writes:
"The Prophet imposed his rule on parts of Arabia through a series of ghazvas, or razzias (the origin of the English word "raid"). The ghazva was designed to terrorize the infidels, convince them that their civilization was doomed and force them to submit to Islamic rule. Those who participated in the ghazva were known as the ghazis, or raiders.
After each ghazva, the Prophet ordered the creation of a rabat -- or a point of contact at the heart of the infidel territory raided. The rabat consisted of an area for prayer, a section for the raiders to eat and rest and facilities to train and prepare for future razzias. Later Muslim rulers used the tactic of ghazva to conquer territory in the Persian and Byzantine empires. After each raid, they built a rabat to prepare for the next razzia."
Islamic expert Robert Spencer writes,
"The placement of mosques throughout Islamic history has been an expression of conquest and superiority over non-Muslims. Muslims built the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock on the site of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in order to proclaim Islam's superiority to Judaism. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus was built over the Church of St. John the Baptist, and the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople was converted into a mosque, to express the superiority of Islam over Christianity. Historian Sita Ram Goel has estimated that over 2,000 mosques in India were built on the sites of Hindu temples for the same reason."
Taheri questions the "Cultural Center" label, saying Islam is a religion, not a culture. In fact, some have argued that Islam has proved to be an anti-cultural and anti-intellectual wrecking ball, especially in Arab nations.
The Ground Zero mosque project seems to have turned into at least a partial public relations nightmare for Islam. Mosque Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf now saysthat if he had known how controversial the project would be, he "never would have done this."
And Islamic expert Raymond Ibrihim writes that some Muslim leaders are now condemning the Ground Zero mosque project as a "Zionist conspiracy" intended to forever link Islam with 9/11.
I contend that American tolerance is not on trial in the Ground Zero Mosque debate, but Islam is. America has an imperfect but well-established record of tolerance. Americans don't need to allow this mosque in order to prove that they're tolerant.
But what is the true nature of Islam, especially in how it views infidels and America? And what is the true theological purpose behind placing a mosque near Ground Zero?
The answers to those questions are not clear at all.