“I hate to break this to you, Gary, … but some people out there want you dead.”These words, spoken by Spotswood near the beginning of “Team America: World Police” held weight when it was released in 2004, and, unfortunately, do so to this day.You see, as Americans, we have rights many people in other countries simply do not have, and we see them as a part of life. Our freedoms come with a price, however, like the hatred from radical groups like al-Qaida.We cannot bend in fear to this hatred for any reason. If we do, we run the risk of losing our precious freedoms.It is for this reason we must build the Islamic community center in New York. If you don’t believe the community center should be built where envisioned, quite frankly, you should rethink calling yourself an American.Despite what many people may want to believe we are not a Christian nation. We are not run by any one religion.One of our freedoms is the ability to worship and practice whatever religion we choose. That freedom is written in the Constitution’s First Amendment and reiterated by President Barack Obama’s recent statement of “Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation.”There are countries run by religion, but Iran shows us why it isn’t a great road to go down.We laugh at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his claims they have no homosexuals in Iran. But judging by some of the outrageous claims by many religious figures here, some of us aren’t much different.I remember shortly after Katrina some of these religious figures spoke out, claiming the hurricane was a result of the Sodom-and-Gomorrah-like attributes of a sin city. Why is this relevant? Because there are some people in the U.S. who want this country to be a Christian nation. Some also claim the building would be a slap in the face to the victims of 9/11. This is a more legitimate argument, but still one which shouldn’t sway us from building the center. Many Muslim workers also died in the attacks, and while not the majority, they certainly shouldn’t be forgotten.Yes, we should honor those who died. But instead of restricting what is built nearby, we should  build a 9/11 memorial.Our refusal to build the community center near Ground Zero is only bowing to the terrorists’ acts. This is what they’d want us to do.By building the community center, we show the attacks were not something all of the Islamic faith is to blame for, but only a few radicals, which every religion has.The community center will help show the difference between the main body of the Muslim faith and the fringe elements. In a Q&A on their site, builders say this center will be accessible to everyone, no matter their faith.This building is meant to bridge the ever-widening gap between Muslim Americans and the rest of the population, creating an atmosphere of tolerance and peaceful cohabitation. If we refuse this, we become more like those who hate us, intolerant of other faiths — something thoroughly un-American.Let the radicals hate us. There’s nothing we do can change most of their minds. What we can do, however, is show the rest of the world how ridiculous these people’s beliefs are and how misplaced their hatred is.Remember, we are not a religiously run nation, despite the wishes of some people. The last thing we can do right now is back down from our freedom, the freedom most people believe makes us so great.As Spotswood explains about the terrorists’ hatred, “It’s not who you are, Gary, it’s what you stand for.”Zachary Davis is a 19-year-old history sophomore from Warsaw. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_zdavis-Contact Zachary Davis at [email protected]