With the ninth anniversary of Sept. 11 having passed, a time of remembrance and reflection has sparked arguments pertaining to treatments of Muslims in America.

There was the very controversial issue with Pastor Jerry Jones from Florida who wanted to burn the Quran in commemoration of 9/11. Jones has said that he and his church no longer plan on burning the Islamic holy book, but the issue still left many hearts unsettled and led to riots overseas.

Currently, there is controversy over building a mosque and Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in New York. Many Americans are in an outrage saying that it would be a slap in the face of all those left with a loss because of the World Trade Center attacks. Imam Abdul Rauf is the Muslim religious leader behind the building of this center.

Rauf’s argument is that if the plan for this building is moved it might enrage already hostile relationships with radical Muslims around the world. “This will put our people – our soldiers, our troops, our embassies, our citizens – under attack in the Muslim world.”

Rauf uses the word, “our,” not “American.” Keep that in mind.

Looking through history we can see what shouldn’t have happened and learn from our mistakes, but we can also look at other countries successes and strive after those examples.

A man who has personified forgiveness and a desire for reconciliation between two very different races is Nelson Mandela. After his 27-year imprisonment for his anti-apartheid movement, Mandela was able to forgive his captors and bring life to the under represented black Afrikaans of South Africa. He became the first black president of South Africa in 1994 and strove for a multi-racial democracy.

Instead of focusing on the pains that had occurred, Mandela focused on reconciliation. “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others,” Mandela said. He knew the value of bringing together two distinct people groups that held a lot of tension for one another.

Following Mandela’s example, we as a “united” America should think about bridging the gap to Muslim believers living in America and around the world. Rauf says that building the mosque and Islamic cultural center is, “an attempt to build an interfaith dialogue.”

What if this mosque is another step in moving our two nations toward peace? Are we still going to refuse it because we want to dwell on the hurts of the past? Or can we move on and seek reconciliation by rebuilding? This building may be just the olive branch we need to soften hearts of radicals around the world.

Are we as American’s too proud to extend it?

“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” – Nelson Mandela