A Case of Religious Freedom

Not that it makes any difference to my opinion, but the president spoke out about the Ground Zero mosque for the first time tonight. His remarks were in a speech at the annual White House Iftar dinner, honoring the beginning of Ramadan, the time of fasting for Muslims.

But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our Founders must endure.

For the people who think President Obama is Islamic, I'm sure this will just be additional "evidence" for their mistaken beliefs, along with the crazy idea that he was born in Kenya, is some sort of Manchurian Candidate, and is the second coming of Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler rolled into one. But then, they never let facts get in the way of their beliefs anyway.

Incidentally, President Bush began the tradition of holding Iftar dinners at the White House during his presidency.