Religious Freedom?

Today as I was down lifting weights at the fitness center today at lunch, I heard the latest report from CNN on the debate about whether to build a mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center site. At the close of the news report, I found myself astounded, no shocked is a better word, that this is even an issue. First of all, they are not even building the mosque on Ground Zero--it is two blocks away. Secondly, you cannot generalize the work of a few Islamic extremists to an entire religion. Finally, would we even be having this debate if it were Christians instead of Muslims? For example, let's say a extreme right-wing Christian militia group decided to bomb the World Trade Center instead. Nine years later, a Christian church wanted to build a church building two blocks from the site. Would this even generate any news or controversy? I don't think so. It seems to me we are being a little hypocritical in this country by extending religious freedoms to only those that share our beliefs. I would like to think that as a country we were beyond this kind of bigotry and prejudice, but sadly this does not seem to be the case. On a related note, I also don't understand why there is all this fear about President Obama being a Muslim. I don't consider who a person decides to pray to as a requirement for the job of President. Rather, I would hope that it is his/her knowledge, morals, and experience that would determine their ability to be president, not if that person was Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. Anyway, enough on the soap box today. :)