THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

The mayor of New York City once again spoke out against the the forces of hate and evil to defend Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg continued to offer full-throated support for the proposed Islamic center near ground zero Tuesday night, defending the project’s leader, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, during an Iftar dinner he hosted at Gracie Mansion.

“Rauf, who is now overseas promoting America and American values, has been put under a media microscope,” Bloomberg said, before quoting Rauf’s speech at a 2003 memorial service for slain journalist Daniel Pearl, during which Rauf declared “I am a Jew.”

“We in New York are Jews and Christians and Muslims, and we always have been,” Bloomberg’s remarks continued. “And above all of that, we are Americans, each with an equal right to worship and pray where we choose.”

Bloomberg also seemed to echo former President George W. Bush, rejecting the idea that the United States is engaged in ideological conflict with the wider Muslim world.

“Islam did not attack the World Trade Center — Al Qaeda did,” Bloomberg warned. “To implicate all of Islam for the actions of a few who twisted a great religion is unfair and un-American. Today we are not at war with Islam — we are at war with Al Qaeda and other extremists who hate freedom.”

In another noteworthy passage, Bloomberg invoked the memory of JFK’s Catholicism. “In 1960, many Americans feared that John F. Kennedy would impose papal law on America,” the mayor said. “But through his example, he taught us that piety to a minority religion is no obstacle to patriotism. It is a lesson that needs updating today, and it is our responsibility to accept the challenge."

We must stand in support of Mayor Bloomberg against the hatemongering of the Republican Party, Fox News, Newt Gingrich, Sara Palin, teabaggers and other Know-Nothings. It is the only right thing for an American to do.

Send a thank you to Hizzoner.