Opposition to the 'Ground Zero Mosque' is unreasonable – but such issues are not determined purely by reason

Telegraph 

On paper, supporters of the religious centre have an unarguable case. For one thing, the proposed site is not on Ground Zero but two blocks away – which, by New York’s cramped standards, is a fair distance. For another, the scheme is undeniably legal: to prevent the owners of the property using it as they wish, the authorities would have to change the law in order to stop a specific proposal – the very definition of arbitrary government. America, supporters continue, is a country founded on the basis of religious toleration. Treating Muslims differently is against letter of the Constitution and the spirit of the republic.