By Katherine Yaremko, Columnist

With the arrival of the anniversary of September 11, heated fervor concerning the construction of Imam Rauf’s Islamic cultural center seems to only have swelled. Even though Florida Pastor Terry Jones’s mission to hold a Qur’an burning gathering on that day did not materialize, New York, as well as other parts of the country, still witnessed an intense debate.

The proposers have every right to build their mosque two blocks from Ground Zero and it is wrong for anyone to attempt to halt the construction. Clearly, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Daisy Khan, along with anyone else, have a right to build a mosque any place in this country that they desire, although the question must be asked: Were they unaware of the negative publicity and outrage that their proposed location would create, even though such outrage may be wrong? It seems very difficult to believe the answer to be yes.

Given that the general goal of anyone with a blueprint in mind is to actually see his plans materialize, there is something odd about selecting the area so close to a national tragedy. Maybe the outcries about terrorism triumphs are right or accurate, but while battling racial and religious hatred is noble and immensely important, people are primarily emotional creatures, and therefore, irrational, outrageous responses are unfortunately far too common among us. In an ideal world, one should be able to build a center for worship anywhere one pleases and have it welcomed by all. Tragically, our world, as well as our human condition, is far from ideal. Perhaps the best we can do, as a society, is to work as hard and as continuously as we can for equality and fairness, even though these goals may never become fully actualized among everyone.

Rauf has argued on ABC that moving the mosque would increase the rage of Islamic fundamentalists, therefore fueling more killings. But political commentators have wisely noted that al-Qaeda and its affiliates will hate the United States regardless of our actions. Terrorists do not need a legitimate reason to murder. But the security risks inherent in continuing with this construction jeopardize the safety of Muslims here. While the center will most surely contain security, its placement makes it a target for vandalism, and those who will walk to the center to worship are possibly placing themselves in the same predicament as the taxi driver who was left stabbed by a customer after his Muslim identity was discovered.

I am not blaming Rauf for these acts of violence and intolerance; I do however, believe that they could have been prevented. While there is no way of knowing whether originally suggesting a different location would have prevented some of these horrific acts of Islamophobia the possibility still exists. This does not mean that opposition against the mosque is right; it is insulting and intolerant toward the majority of the Muslim community and indicative of a deep-seated strain of racism in this country.

It is not enough, as Obama has done, to merely stand behind a podium and proclaim that religious intolerance and racism are wrong. Of course they are wrong. Those who already know this need no convincing. But regardless of how often this truth is pressed, it will not persuade those deeply rooted in hatred. This does not mean we become lackadaisical and complacent about promoting equality. It does mean that sometimes certain battles have to be given up, especially if waging them creates more harm than good. Building a mosque near Ground Zero will probably not increase understanding and tolerance of Islam, most likely the opposite. However, this is a decision for those constructing the mosque to make; it should not be a sword for those seeking to prevent construction of the project. Rauf has stated that he has no intentions of moving the mosque, and others’ attempts to prevent construction still remain wrong and unjustified.