Judaism shares a lot of values with Islam, at the same time as it completely rejects other aspects of Islam. Judaism shares the importance of modesty (although the burka is way over the top, and degrades the humanity of women), humility and reverence for the Word of God. Judaism shares the demand on the individual to take responsibility for his or her actions, and maintain the highest levels of ethics in both public and private. Judaism stresses faith in one God and spirituality, as does Islam.

Judaism, however, does not dream of a "worldwide Caliphate." Judaism stresses loyalty to the sovereign nation in which the individual resides. "Pray for the welfare of your government, for if not for its authority, society would descend to anarchy." Jewish law recognizes the validity of local secular law, and requires Jews to abide by it -- so long as it is within the realm of ethics, in distinction to the racist laws of Nazi Germany, for example.

Jews are model citizens.

I wish I could say the same for Islam. Islam does dream of a worldwide caliphate, and views the non-Islamic states as being infidels, in need of "enlightenment." It is a highly intolerant religion, especially in the more extreme interpretations so popular in the world today. At best, non-Muslims are to be tolerated only as second-class citizens. The mosque must be the biggest house of worship in the city. This is a sign of the respect due the "superior faith."

In certain places in Europe, neighborhoods have become completely Islamic. Islamic law is the only law they recognize, and loyalty to the nation in which they live is not required. That was understated, it is not present. A Moslem has loyalty only to his fellow Moslems, as they dream of dominating the world.

And this is the crux of the question: how much tolerance must one display towards those that are not tolerant? Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem have complete freedom of worship, their houses of worship are respected and protected. In brutal contrast, whenever the Arabs have taken over Jewish neighborhoods, synagogues and shrines were destroyed. It was done when the Jordanians captured the old city of Jerusalem in 1948, when they demolished the glorious Hurva synagogue. Ironically, when that synagogue was finally reconstructed this year, the Palestinians launched a propaganda campaign against it! Joseph's Tomb in Nablus was torched when the Palestinians took over. And let us not forget the ancient historical statues in Afghanistan destroyed by the Moslem extremist Taliban.

The beauty of democracy is its tolerance, and it is also its Achilles heel. The Nazis came to power because of democracy and its tolerance. The Western democracies allowed the Nazis to grow their power, because they could not conceive of a nation actually desiring war and conquest. They functioned on the erroneous belief that nations pursue policies of self-interest exclusively. This is not so! Ideology and fanaticism will always trump self-interest! Wake up, Europe and America!

America must continue to allow religious freedom to all faiths. It must continue to allow construction of all types of houses of worship. To make distinctions is to embark upon a slippery slope. And that is why I am completely opposed to the construction of this mosque!

Tolerance must accept everybody except those who would destroy tolerance. It's as simple as that. If you don't want to play by the rules, you can not be part of the game. Even the most "moderate" Moslem should realize that Ground Zero is the wrong place for a mosque. Please show a grain of sensitivity and self-awareness. If you are really interested in bridge building and outreach, keep your center modest and in a place that respects the sensitivities of the deeply hurting city in which you reside.

It seems to me that the plan to build such a large and "in your face" Mosque in such a blood-sanctified place blows the cover off any claims of "Moderation" or "Outreach". We need to open our eyes to whom we are dealing with, and realize that there is another difference between Judaism and Islam (and the Western world in general) that we must recognize.

Moslems are allowed to lie if it will advance the cause of Islam. Chamberlain couldn't believe that Hitler would lie to him, so he handed him eastern Europe on a silver platter and claimed this was "Peace with honor." My friends, there is evil in the world, there is deception in the world. All of our good intentions and goodheartedness won't change that. Remember Neville Chamberlain, and never go down that path again.