I am ashamed of those fellow Americans of mine who are twisting the words and life's work of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf into a fanatical caricature for the purpose of stopping the Cordoba House project. Fellow Americans like Rick Lazio, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and others with political agendas built on hate and fear.

I am ashamed of Democrats who should know better than to concede even one inch when anyone crosses the line of the First Amendment to threaten the religious freedom of any group out of hate and fear.

I am ashamed of the nearly 70 percent of my countrymen who believe it is their right to dictate the location of Cordoba House or of any other mosque, and all because of their hate and fear.

I am ashamed to share my country with those like the group SANE who want to outlaw the right of Muslim Americans to practice their faith as others are free to practice theirs, because my country was not founded on hate and fear.

At the funeral of David Pearl, the slain Jewish reporter for the New York Times, Imam Rauf spoke in solidarity with the victim, his family and their people, saying "I am a Jew."

Well, I am a Christian, but today I am Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. I am a Muslim. I am an American.

Tell me your name today.