AUG 12 — Last Tuesday, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9 to 0 in favour of allowing the demolition of a building near the World Trade Centre site to make way for a 13-storey Islamic cultural centre and mosque.

Plans for the construction of the proposed mosque drew strong criticism from American politicians such as Sarah Palin who last month Tweeted to say:”Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in interest of healing”.

She tweeted again later, saying to New Yorkers:”Peaceful New Yorkers, pls refute the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real.”

Palin was not the only one opposed to the building of the mosque.

The National Republican Trust paid for a provocative advertisement called “Kill the Ground Zero Mosque” which replayed scenes from September 11 with a background voice saying”On September 11, they declared war against us. They want to build a thirteen-story mosque at Ground Zero. This ground is sacred. That mosque is a monument to their victory. The mosque at Ground Zero must not stand.”

Despite such opposition, the path is now finally open for the project to proceed.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a stirring speech given following the Landmarks Preservation Commission vote, stated that the government had no right whatsoever to deny Muslims the right to build a mosque.

“Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbours grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values — and play into our enemies’ hands — if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists – and we should not stand for that,” Bloomberg said.

“On 11 September 2001, thousands of first responders heroically rushed to the scene and saved tens of thousands of lives. More than 400 of those first responders did not make it out alive. In rushing into those burning buildings, not one of them asked ‘What God do you pray to?’ ‘What beliefs do you hold?” the mayor said, before finishing by noting that political controversies may come and go but there is no neighborhood in New York that is off limits to God’s love and mercy.

It is difficult to be a Muslim in many Western countries.

Religious bigots are quick to play up fears and remind everyone of not only September 11 but also the dangers of creeping Islamisation.

Last year, a Muslim convert named Carole was barred from swimming in a public pool in France because she wore the burkini — a three-piece swimsuit she bought in Dubai consisting of a headscarf, tunic and trousers.

Early last month, France’s Lower House of Parliament overwhelmingly approved a ban on wearing burqa-style Islamic veils. This is part of a concerted endeavour by the French government to “protect French values”.

Let us strive not to make it difficult for people to be Christians or Hindus or Buddhists or any other religion in Malaysia.

Let us not allow a situation where people say that it is difficult to be a Sikh in Malaysia.

Let us stop asking the question “What God do you pray to?” when approving permits for religious places of worship.

Let us stop asking the question “What God do you pray to?” in all aspects of our lives.

It is a personal matter and one that should be respected as such.

In December 2005, while some members of the congregation were preparing for Christmas, the state authorities demolished a church of the Orang Asli in the Kampung Orang Asli Kuala Masai, Johor settlement.

This was done on grounds that the church was built illegally on state land despite the fact that the state had already promised the land to the Orang Asli as reserve land in exchange for the Orang Asli moving out of their original land located in the Stulang Laut area.

Let us strive to keep places of worship intact and bend over backwards to prevent destruction of the same. Destruction of places of worship must be a thing of the past.

If there is one country that could be a model for interfaith co-operation, it would be Malaysia.

But we have to start trusting each other. We’ve got to stop haggling over words used during worship, the number of places of worship each other has and the distance required between each place of worship.

Let us not forget that those who fought for this country’s freedom belonged to all faiths. Those who suffered at the hands of the Japanese belonged to all faiths.

Let us not forget that our multi-culturalism and multi-religionism are what makes us who were are.

Let us not forget that the Rukun Negara urges the belief in God. So who are we to curtail or halt the people’s wish to worship and believe in a God that they so choose.

Malaysia is a godly country. We are made up of so many religions. Perhaps it is the sum of all our prayers that has prevented Malaysia from descending into the dark realm of killings in the name of God, perpetual burnings of places of worship and violent religious mobs.

We put a toe into such waters shortly after the High Court ruling in the “Allah” case but matters calmed down without too much damage.

Let us take a lesson from New York and try to avoid similar situations from happening.

Let us defend the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion and learn to trust again.

Religious terms, mosques, churches and temples are not symbols of power or a matter of one-upmanship. They are our fellow man’s way of worship and nothing else.

Any act which infringes on the freedom of religion is not a lawful exercise of power but an exercise of tyranny and bigotry.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or the publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.