"Has Muslim Become The M-Word?"

Like a clear majority of Americans, I too oppose the building of the proposed Cordoba Mosque near the former World Trade Center in New York City.

But for me this is not an issue of religious tolerance as much as it is one of compassion, community, and respect for the 3,000 Americans who lost their lives that day at the hands of Muslim extremists. And let’s not forget thousands more were injured physically and emotionally on that dark day of September 11, 2001.

Intellectually, we all know that all Muslims are not terrorists bent on killing Americans, Christians, and Jews. Intellectually, we all know that Muslims go to work, pay their taxes, love their families, and embrace the notion of being an American. The problem, however, as I see it, is much bigger than this–the problem is that the word “Muslim” has become synonymous with all that is wrong in the world — right or wrong — deserved or not.