A candidate for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. Patrick Leahy thinks no mosque should be built near the site of the former World Trade Center, destroyed by terrorists Sept. 11, 2001. The candidate, Len Britton, calls himself a champion of religious freedom. But he thinks the First Amendment’s protections of religious freedom don’t apply in this case.

“I can’t run into a packed theater and yell ‘Fire!’” he told reporters. “The construction of this mosque so close to Ground Zero would be an incendiary act.”

Religious freedom is one of America’s most fundamental liberties, and a central principle upon which our nation was founded. Religious pluralism and tolerance have sustained and helped to define the United States. Yet, still today, religious discrimination rooted in cultural stereotyping is advocated — to gain political advantage.

We applaud others who have stood up for religious liberty and defended the right of private citizens to build a mosque and community center in lower Manhattan.

These officials have rightly understood that we must always — especially in times of controversy — vigilantly uphold core American values, including a faith community’s right to build a house of worship, whether a mosque, a church, or a synagogue.

Adherence to the Constitution is not optional. Discrimination is a losing proposition.

The horrific events of 9/11 call on all of us to keep a close watch over fundamental freedoms. When we violate one group’s freedom, everyone’s liberty is at stake.