Many Americans are having trouble with the new Ground Zero Victory Mosque, specifically, that it isn’t at ground zero, isn’t a mosque, and has nothing to do with the terrorists who perpetrated 9-11.

Cordoba House, also called Park51, is a 15-story Islamic Community Center planned for lower Manhattan two blocks from the sight of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and would include education forums and conference rooms along with a prayer space. But to many, it’s still a Ground Zero Victory Mosque.

“We are deeply concerned, because this is like a metastasized anti-Semitism,” said Daisy Khan, who is spearheading the project with her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. “It's beyond Islamophobia. It's hate of Muslims.”

In fact, the planned $100 million center is poorly coordinated and has only a fraction of the money it needs to be built anyway. Making it into a political football only adds fuel to the already irrational hate of Muslims in this country, not that any of this would prevent President Obama from commenting on the situation.

“Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” he said at a White House gathering. “That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.”

“It makes me uncomfortable when government starts deciding which religions can build and which can't,” said Senior Advisor to the President David Axelrod. “It makes me uncomfortable when we stigmatize a particular faith. That's not what America is all about.”

This is true, irrefutably so. Mosque critics should feel shameful for even suggesting that New York Muslims do not have the freedom to gather and celebrate their heritage. However, by focusing on the teachable moment, Obama is alienating a very large part of his constituency.

“The president understood the charged political climate, but felt he had the responsibility to speak to it,” said Deputy White House Communications Director Jen Psaki. “His advisers appreciated that and there was no effort to dissuade it.”

To paraphrase Obama’s response to his own comments, he had the right, but many Americans are still questioning the wisdom, particularly at a time when 31% of Republicans believe the president is a Muslim and that this would be a bad thing. His addiction to the teachable moment, to rising above the fray and leading by example, is a noble impulse that may nevertheless make short work of his presidency.

Which is a shame, because the people most resistant to being guided are the ones who need it. We need to realize that hate, fear and ignorance do not elevate us as a culture. Perhaps an opportunity to learn, this Islamic Community Center, is really what Americans need most.