The proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero has taken over the media in recent weeks, inciting opposition and support from some of the most surprising groups imaginable. There are families of Sept. 11 victims supporting the project while many Muslims are outlining reasons why the center, nicknamed Park51, should not exist so close to Ground Zero.

Let’s be real:  So much attention on this multi-faith cultural center has taken away from some of the much more pressing issues of the summer.

General David Petraeus, the commander of forces in Afghanistan, recently laid out a change in strategy for soldiers dealing with Afghanis outside of direct combat. His message is clear:  The US has focused on military power so much in recent years that it has forgotten some of the basic principles that made it a super power in the first place.

America has lost its attraction outside of the Western Hemisphere. And even though military troops are doing an amazing job overseas, our country is widely disliked by many Muslims globally – even those who want to see the US occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan succeed.
This epiphany caused General Petraeus to issue guidelines to service members was meant, in essence, to make civilians in Afghanistan like us again. These criteria include having soldiers drink tea with locals and having our armed forces learn Arabic and Pashto to better communicate with civilians.

Now you’re probably thinking that the cultural center has little, if anything at all, to do with a general’s war guidelines. Up until a few days ago, I never considered any sort of connection between the two. But then it started to make sense and ultimately swayed my opinion on the Park51 project.

As an American who is very proud of my country, I place national security as the most important issue in domestic and global politics today. Without secure borders and effective intelligence services, we could face substantial consequences on US soil and abroad.
The controversy facing the Islamic cultural center is exactly what Al Qaeda and other radical Islamic groups want. We as Americans are playing directly into their game by subtly turning the “War on Terror” into a “War on Islam.”

Religion is so important to people that having outspoken opponents discuss their dislike for Islam on national television can be enough to turn a pro-America Muslim into someone with anti-American views, potentially strong enough to cause tangible harm.

The Muslim extremists who committed the heinous acts on Sept. 11 would absolutely not approve of a multi-faith center that allows people of all religions inside, houses a chapel for use by any religion, and is founded by an Imam who has previously worked as a consultant for the FBI – and is currently paid by the state department to do outreach work overseas.

I hope that we can all take a moment to consider that barring constitutional and ethical considerations, which are all currently being debated, the Park51 project is actually in our nation’s best security interest. It promotes understanding, interfaith relationships and a general level of tolerance that many in the Middle East have not seen from our country in quite some time.

It is definitely worth trying General Petraeus’ war strategy back home in America. Who knows? Maybe making the US attractive to those in the East is the missing piece of the puzzle that can bring our troops home safely while ensuring that we remain the world’s leading hegemony in the 21st century.

– Samuel Aronson is a junior criminal justice major.