There's a new twist in the controversy over the 'Ground Zero mosque.' This Sunday, Bill Keller, a Christian preacher from Florida, is inaugurating his own "9-11 Christian Center at Ground Zero," holding services at a Marriott Hotel two blocks from the World Trade Center site. This "bigoted" provocateur, says Salon's Justin Elliott, is virulently opposed not just to Islam (a religion of "hate and death" for hell-bound "pedophiles"), but also Mormons, gays, and President Obama. Should those who oppose the Park51 Islamic center also consider Keller's "Ground Zero church" an affront to the victims of 9/11? (Watch Keller rant about Islam)
Keller's calling the Park51 opponents' bluff: Critics of the "Ground Zero mosque" swear they're "not motivated by anti-Muslim animus," says Steve Benen in Washington Monthly. Well, here's their chance to prove it. Keller is, after all, a "radical figure, who's lashed out wildly at Americans" — plus, who knows who's funding his $8 million "Ground Zero church," or what type of "zealotry" it will unleash? Denouncing both centers seems a "no-brainer."
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