Sarah Palin's 'Ground Zero mosque' jab

Was Palin right to speak out against a proposed Ground Zero mosque? — (Image credit: Getty)

Sarah Palin has joined the fracas over a Islamic community center and mosque that's being proposed for a site two blocks from Manhattan's Ground Zero. In a series of what The Economist calls "lexicologically inventive" Twitter posts, Palin asked peace-seeking Muslims to "refudiate" the mosque as an "unnecessary provocation" after 9/11. Her mangling of the word "repudiate" aside, is Palin right, or wise, to jump into this dispute? (Watch a Fox discussion about Palin's comment)

Palin's "intolerance" is shameful: If you told Palin that some place in America was "off-limits to a Christian church," says Steve Chapman in the Chicago Tribune, she'd reject the notion as unconstitutional. The same is true of mosques — and it should be noted that this mosque is conceived to "combat extremism," thus "preventing future terrorism." For Palin to implicitly blame "Islam for the 9/11 attacks is like blaming Christianity for the bombing of abortion clinics."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

This isn't about religious freedom: Californians in Temecula Valley are challenging the First Amendment by opposing a mosque being built there, says Donald Douglas at American Power. But the "Temecula case doesn't seem to be anything like the opposition to the Ground Zero Mosque, which is clearly an example of Islamic Jihad's imperial conquest. New York Muslims will literally be praying on a battle zone where bodies are still being recovered." Good for Palin for lending her big name to opposing it.

This tweet controversy is vintage Palin: Well, Palin's "never one to shy away from political conflict," says Chris Good in The Atlantic. New Yorkers may not universally embrace her involvement, or appreciate her arguable "religious bigotry." But this willingness to dive headlong into "something so hot-buttoned and charged with religion, anger, and fear," on Twitter, without a safety net, is why her supporters love her.