Why The New York Mosque Debate matters to Pagans

Why The New York Mosque Debate matters to Pagans.
By Ed Hubbard

Imagine that you decide to build a center for your faith, spend money to buy property, and follow all the laws locally and nationally. Then, as you prepare to build that center, the local community discovers that you are building something that is different from the local dominant beliefs, and they decide that this is not acceptable to them. Now you never tried to hide what you did or what you believed, but suddenly you have protestors at your door, the international media covering the story, and politicians weighing in to say they do not want you to move in. What would you do? Would you stand up for your rights?

This is the very situation that the Park51 project, also known as the Ground Zero Mosque, is facing. Their plan is to build an Interfaith Center, similar to the YMCA or the Young Men’s Hebrew Association of New York. Each of these are good ideas and very supportive of their community. The NYC Commission voted 23-0 to accept this, as did every other governmental body involved. This was done legally and openly with everyone in authority unanimously approving the project. There were no protests from any of the city’s officials. It will be just one of many buildings in New York City serving its community. So regardless of what the media is saying, this is not about terrorism or in any way about foreign powers being established in America. It is really all about an American faith community looking for a place to call its own. In this case, it just happens to be Islam.

Since the laws have been supported, and the permits approved for this project, it cannot be seen as troublesome from a legal point of view. The argument for those who wish to stop it turns on a question of alleged decency; that this center, which would include a Mosque, would offend the families of the victims of World Trade Tower Attack. The contention is that if the developers were decent people, Real Americans, they would understand the pain they are causing, and they would move the location. They would take it out of eyesight of the Ground Zero area; they would respect the dead and not build a victory mosque on that spot.

Those who are protesting this go further in their attacks and state because Imam Feisal Rauf won’t be intimidated, he is a terrible person, and he is simply Un-American. They say that he harbors feelings for terrorist organizations and is really an agent of those who seek to harm us. These protestors contend that he is not really able to understand the sensibilities of America, and he should really pay attention to what the people want. This is next level of the argument, and it is in fact nonsense. It is also an argument filled with misconceptions and bigotry, intentional or not, and it defames a community and a man who has worked hard to make peoples’ lives better as part of the American dream.

This is an event that has already happened to Pagans, on a much smaller scale, and one that has happened to me personally. This whole nightmare resonates deep within me, because I know how it feels to be accused of being Un-American for what I believe in. The moment began for my small Pagan community in June 2003 when Witch School needed a new headquarters, and we decided to move to Rev. Don Lewis’ hometown of Danville, IL. We found a very inexpensive piece of property in a small town called Hoopeston, which was North of Danville, but within the same county. We contacted the town offices, discovered that they had no business license requirements, and decided to begin the process of relocation. We then let people know we were buying the propert, put a down payment on the building, and prepared to close on it. We issued a press release to our media, and we followed every law. We were excited by the opportunity.

Then local newspaper publisher Lourdine Florek included the story in her daily paper, and suddenly we had over a hundred fifty rampant Christian protestors outside saying “no way” to a Witch School in their community. They had a petition drive; they had newspapers covering the story, and finally we were summoned to City Hall on July 2nd, 2003. It was less of a meeting and more of a lynch mob really. All but one of the city officials said that they did not want Witch School in their town, the citizens did not want it, and they felt we should not set up our offices there. At one point we were even threatened with physical violence from a local police officer. It was one of the most frightening moments of my life, and it took a certain amount of courage to face that rabid and dangerous crowd. One thing that I truly believed saved us was the bravery of the Chief of Police, who supported our rights.

The argument for not opening our school in their town, which quickly became international news, was that while we had the legal right, why would we impose ourselves on a Christian community? Why did we need to come to Hoopeston and disrupt their community? They maintained that while we had the legal right, we were somehow indecent and wrong to benefit from the low cost of living there. “Why couldn’t we go elsewhere”, was the cry and hue, and many of our fellow Pagans agreed with the Christians. It was stated by so many that we had the legal right but not the moral right, to build our school in there. This is the same argument that the Christian Right is using against the Park51 project, and it states that the morality of the majority should win against the constitutional rights of the minority.

Now, the question is “Why can’t they simply move the Mosque elsewhere”? The question is, where would be acceptable and how far away from sacred ground should it be. In the question of Witch School, in a letter now on exhibit at the World of Witches Museum, they told us how far away they wanted us, and that was ten miles away from their town. The First Baptist Church of Hoopeston, led by Pastor Steve Nelson, sent us a check for $1000 to cover our deposit, and said by endorsing that check, we would agree not to build a Wiccan center within ten miles of Hoopeston. That would mean that the church would carve for itself a 20 mile diameter Christian only center in America. This is not an opinion but fact, and the argument against the Islamic Interfaith Center is exactly the same as it was against Witch School. The final irony was that a stop payment had been placed on the check by the time we received it.

So I am deeply hurt by the idea that Pagans would support denying the Park51 Center right to be built with the same venom as the Christian Right has used against us. All too many Pagans are saying Islam is evil, that it is Un-American and that Islamic people should be denied all rights. This is the same rationale used against Pagans in Hoopeston. In Dr. Jonathon Moore’s thesis, “The Devil comes to Hoopeston” he points out that the townsfolk did not deny that Americans had the right to worship as they desired, but that because we were Wiccans and Pagans, we could not possibly be Americans. It was their claim that our faith denied us the singular right to be United States citizens, and that this gave them permission to attempt to move us out. They felt that only Christian folk could be good, patriotic Americans, and we should be denied all access to equal services. This is the same argument now being stated against the peaceful members of Park51 project, and it is being parroted by many Pagans.

In the end, we stood up for our rights, and we lived in the Hoopeston area for seven years, until we could no longer withstand the constant battles. The churches never accepted us, and they used all manner of dirty and nasty means to keep us from succeeding. We did move again, finally to Salem, Mass. where the story of this entire fight was made into an exhibit for the museum. There are still Pagans who have lived in Hoopeston their entire life and were denied a right to worship as they chose, because it went against the sentiments of the majority. It is a lesson I will never forget.

I truly believe that if the Mosque is built, New York will accept it, and it will become a non-issue. The reason I believe this is because New York is a progressive city, and this is a political issue suited to feed a fearful populace to win elections. If I am wrong, then the Islamic people may face years of discrimination, and may in the end find it impossible to stay. It is a terrible thing to happen, but unfortunately a very real possibility in fundamentalist Christian America.

If this was an isolated incident, you could say it was only Witch School, and they deserved it. But the very same argument is happening to another Pagan group in the Catskills of New York. The Maetreum of Cybele is under attack by the local government because their beliefs do not fit the faith practices of the majority of the population in the area. The Maetreum is being denied due process, and is having their right to be a religious order denied. The reason is the locals do not want them there, and they feel that if the Maetrum followers were decent folk they would move. The local government has decided to do everything in its power to remove these uppity Pagan Nuns, who are just not good for the local Catskills community. If the Park51 center fails, then this will only strengthen the attacks on the Maetreum of Cybele, and protests against other future minority churches, mosques, and temples. It is not an Islamic question; it is really a freedom question.

The question for Pagans as well as Americans is, “Do we live what we believe or do we simply attack what we fear?” This question is becoming a test of our values and our character. Mayor Bloomberg had it right, and his unequivocal call to do the right thing really shows his adherence to and faith in our Constitution, and his belief in the innate love of liberty and freedom that is the soul of all Americans, regardless of their faith. This is no less a test of our values and our character than it was for the Mayor. I believe that we as a community can truly stand on the proper side of this; that we will be found truly living our truths and we will treat others as we ourselves demand to be treated. Let us not deny to others what we are fighting for ourselves. Can we as a community be proud enough to stand up and say equality is for everyone, not just the selected few? When history speaks of this day, where will it say the Pagans stood in this moment of crisis?

So, in closing, I pray that Pagans consider their words and actions carefully in deciding how to speak about the Islamic Center. Supporting their right to build, within the confines of the law of our Constitution, is good for us all. If the center fails to uphold the law, then the government of New York will certainly close it down. So I am begging each of you to consider this before joining the hysteria, and think about your rights, now and in the future. Your community, your faith, and our future depend on it.

Blessings, and may you walk in Peace.