A Lesson in Tolerance

GREG Gutfeld, 46, is said to be the funniest man on American TV, but the host of the Fox News late-night program, Red Eye, claims he wasn’t joking when he announced on his blog this week that he planned to open a gay bar adjacent to a giant mosque in New York.

Said Gutfield:
So, the Muslim investors championing the construction of the new mosque near Ground Zero claim it’s all about strengthening the relationship between the Muslim and non-Muslim world.

As an American, I believe they have every right to build the mosque – after all, if they buy the land and they follow the law – who can stop them?

Which is, why, in the spirit of outreach, I’ve decided to do the same thing.

I’m announcing tonight, that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the West, but also Islamic gay men. To best express my sincere desire for dialogue, the bar will be situated next to the mosque at Park 51, in an available commercial space.

This is not a joke. I’ve already spoken to a number of investors, who have pledged their support in this bipartisan bid for understanding and tolerance.

As you know, the Muslim faith doesn’t look kindly upon homosexuality, which is why I’m building this bar. It is an effort to break down barriers and reduce deadly homophobia in the Islamic world.

The goal, however, is not simply to open a typical gay bar, but one friendly to men of Islamic faith. An entire floor, for example, will feature non-alcoholic drinks, since booze is forbidden by the faith. The bar will be open all day and night, to accommodate men who would rather keep their sexuality under wraps – but still want to dance.

Bottom line: I hope that the mosque owners will be as open to the bar, as I am to the new mosque. After all, the belief driving them to open up their center near
Ground Zero, is no different than mine.

My place, however, will have better music.

The Washington Post on Sunday carried an article written by a Muslim woman opposing the construction of the mosque.

Neda Bolourchi, who lives in Los Angeles, lost her mother who was on board one of the planes that slammed into the World Trade Centre on 9/11. She wrote:

Though I have nothing but contempt for the fanaticism that propelled the terrorists to carry out their murderous attacks on Sept. 11, I still have great respect for the faith. Yet, I worry that the construction of the Cordoba House Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center site would not promote tolerance or understanding; I fear it would become a symbol of victory for militant Muslims around the world. I try to take solace in the notion that her death has forced a much-needed conversation and re-evaluation of the role of religion in the Muslim community, of the duties and obligations that the faith imposes and of its impact on the non-Muslim world.

But a mosque near Ground Zero will not move this conversation forward. There were many mosques in the United States before Sept. 11; their mere existence did not bring cross-cultural understanding. The proposed center in New York may be heralded as a peace offering – may genuinely seek to focus on ‘promoting integration, tolerance of difference and community cohesion through arts and culture’, as its Web site declares – but I fear that over time, it will cultivate a fundamentalist version of the Muslim faith, embracing those who share such beliefs and hating those who do not.

And she pointed out:

The Iranian revolution compelled my family to flee to America when I was 12 years old. Yet, just over two decades later, the militant version of our faith caught up with us on a September morning. I still identify as a Muslim. When you are born into a Muslim family, there is no way around it, no choices available: You are Muslim.


Ah, but you see Ms. Bolourchi, there is a way around it; there are choices available. Please read "Infidel" and "Nomad", two excellent books by a former Muslim woman, Ayann Hirsi Ali. Reason and logic are tugging at your sleeve. Ayann will confirm what your critical thinking skills are already telling you.

I do not like harboring resentment or anger, but I do not want the death of my mother – my best friend, my hero, my strength, my love – to become even more politicized than it already is. To the supporters of this new Islamic cultural center, I must ask: Build your ideological monument somewhere else, far from my mother’s grave, and let her rest in peace.

Ms. Bolourchi, I beg you to consider the words of the great thinker and moralist, Robert Ingersoll:

“If we are, in any way, bound by the belief of our fathers, the doctrine will hold good back to the first people who had a religion; and if this doctrine is true, we ought now to be believers in that first religion. In other words, we would all be barbarians. You cannot show any respect to your parents by perpetuating their errors. If you wish to reflect credit upon your parents, accomplish more than they did, solve more problems that they could not understand, and build better than they knew. Why would a son who has examined a subject, throw away his reason and adopt the views of his mother? Is not such a course dishonorable to both”?


Mr. Gutfeld continues:
So last night I announced plans to build a gay bar catering to Islamic men, near the proposed mosque site near Ground Zero. The goal? To echo the mosque's own website, which says it's trying to promote integration and tolerance. I figured, I could return the favor, by opening a gay bar.

After all, Islam despises homosexuality - and this muslim-friendly gay bar would help mend fences. Right now the working name of the bar is Heaven and Halal. It will be two floors - one serving Hallel food, and other other serving cocktails. There will be 72 of them. And they will be virgin.

So here's an update, since last night.

I've scoped out some properties. And, I've received countless inquiries regarding investment; folks who have offered up to six figures. But because some of them were drunk, they may have placed the decimal point in the wrong place. I also contacted the Cordoba House, the folks behind the mosque - but they have not returned my calls.

So I tweeted them.

Here's what they tweeted back.

You're free to open whatever you like. If you won't consider the sensibilities of Muslims, you're not going to build dialog.

By the way, I'm not building dialog, I'm building a bar. And as for the sensibilities of Muslims - which involves homophobia - thats not for me.

And that's my point - its weird being educated in tolerance by an incredibly intolerant ideology. As long as gays and women are treated so poorly, how can they teach us compassion and generosity?

Anyway, I will keep you all up to date on the progress - and for more info, always come here.

Great idea Greg. Let me know how I can invest.
Charlie