Faith & Spirit Quote by Peter King

Peter King is doing the classic politician’s two-step: affirm a principle loudly, then narrow its application so tightly it stops being a principle. “I support mosques, obviously” isn’t a confession of tolerance as much as a preemptive alibi. The word “obviously” tries to shame dissenters out of questioning his bona fides, even as the rest of the statement builds a case for exceptional restriction.

The architecture of the line is revealing. He piles up pluralism - “churches, temples, mosques” - to sound civic-minded, then pivots to “symbolism,” the slipperiest word in American public life. Symbolism is where policy goes to hide. By shifting from rights to vibes, King recasts a constitutional question (can Muslims build a house of worship?) into an emotional one (should they?). The subtext: Muslims may worship, but not too close to our trauma. Tolerance, yes; visibility, no.

The “ground zero” invocation anchors the comment in the post-9/11 debate over the Park51 Islamic community center, framed by opponents as the “Ground Zero Mosque.” King’s “two blocks or three blocks” is tellingly arbitrary, a soft perimeter around collective grief. It treats proximity itself as provocation, implying that Muslim presence near the site functions as a taunt rather than a mourning.

What makes the quote work politically is its posture of balance. It offers pluralism as a credential, then uses memorial symbolism to legitimize exclusion - a way to launder suspicion through solemnity.