Red: Give me your tired, your poor...

There's a group pushing for a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, and I'm honestly struggling with this.

I understand the idea of building relationships between non-Muslims and Muslim-Americans. I love that idea, actually. Isn't that what this country is supposed to be all about? I know we've had some problems with this before, but as far as I knew, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" still applied here in the United States.

In addition to the mosque, I read today that the Islamic Circle of North America has reserved multiple Six Flags amusement parks around the country for the weekend of September 11 for "Muslim Family Day."

Again, I'm okay with Muslim Family Day.

I am not okay with it being advertised as "the weekend of September 11," especially when Muslim Family Day has been held in August, late September and October in years past.

While talking to a friend who works in New York City, he said, "It's the weekend of 9/11. There were 3,000 innocent people that were killed by Muslim fundamentalists. Why do we need to celebrate Muslim Day the same weekend as 9/11?"

He continued, "Why can't it be in August or October? Granted, these people who want to celebrate Muslim Day probably aren't Muslim fundamentalists, but have some respect for the people who were affected by the tragedy."

Stretch my friend's ideas to the building of a mosque in New York City. Why does it have to be right there? Where's the respect to the families and friends to those that died? And why do I, as an American, feel like one certain group is exploiting that day and using it as their own celebratory day?

Immigrants are what made this country. I'd like to think that anyone living in the States (legal or not) has a sense of Americanism instilled in them. There's a reason all these people of different generations, nationalities and religions have come here. I don't find it outlandish to ask for respect for Americans' lives, especially while living here.

I'd love for the Muslim community to celebrate their heritage and culture, but as an American, I'd love the entire country to celebrate the lives of the 3,000 people who were tragically killed on that day and in New York, all racism and elitism aside.