This is the United States of America! Most of us realize that what makes our country great is not our military or economic power, but what we stand for, the principles laid out in our Declaration of Independence and made law in our Constitution. One of our most sacred principles, one which drew many of our ancestors to this place, is freedom of religion. And yet lately one group finds itself under attack purely because of their religion. It started with the argument over the so called Ground Zero Mosque, and the rhetoric over that has stoked the flames of something more dangerous, as exhibited by this story of an attack on the construction site of a mosque in the Nashville suburb of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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It is this kind of thing that reveals the truth behind the opposition to the Cordoba Center, the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.” It is anti-Islamic sentiment, pure and simple.

We cannot hold Islam accountable for the attacks of September 11 any more than we can Christianity for IRA terrorism in Northern Ireland, even though it is now clear that the church protected terrorists and that at least one priest was involved in a terror attack.

We don’t hold Christianity responsible for the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda either, because most Christians see it as a perversion of their faith, beyond the pale of their faith, even if the army claims to be a Christian sect. Most Muslims feel the same way about Ben Laden. There is so little knowledge and understanding about Islam.

But it doesn’t matter! We have religious freedom in this country and the fact that the media is debating things like a place of worship at Ground Zero, no matter which denomination, is shocking! This is America! This is not supposed to happen here, and there should be outrage, not debate!

Here is the Daily Show’s comedic take on the controversy. Always helpful to relieve the pressure!