Further, there is an important strategic factor. In nuclear-armed Pakistan, where the civilian government is fragile and viewed as out-of-touch with the suffering of average citizens, the last thing that pro-U.S. elements need is to be tainted by the anti-mosque Islamophobia being stirred up by right-wing and neocon activists in the United States.
Think for a minute about how differently this controversy could have played out: The proximity between Ground Zero and a mosque could have been held out as proof that American leaders mean what they say about welcoming moderate Muslims. The message at home would have reinforced not contradicted the message carried by U.S. soldiers and diplomats abroad.
The United States would have stood up before the world as a confident nation that lives not just talks its principles. The American welcoming of a mosque near the 9/11 site could have represented a propaganda blow to al-Qaeda and other extremists.
Instead, the opposite has occurred. The world has seen the United States appearing as a weak, prejudiced and vengeful nation, blaming an entire religion for the actions of a few adherents.
Even worse, the Americans most likely to pay for this political posturing are the U.S. troops on the front lines. The Right and the neocons may profit at the polls but the price will be paid in blood, mostly by American soldiers and U.S. allies in faraway places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
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