It seems that the Ground Zero mosque project has been examined from every conceivable angle since its inception, all the way through the community board hearings, protest and support rallies, politician's statements, newspaper editorials, and to the final approval by New York City 's authorities. Yet I wonder if one question got left behind: what does his zeal to push the approval through tell us about Imam Rauf, the organizer of the Ground Zero mosque, and his ilk?

Sarah Palin's seemingly rhetorical tweet of a few weeks ago to supporters of the project -- (quoting from memory) "do you realize that this mosque wounds hearts?" is an excellent starting point for X-raying the psyche of the man.

Because, obviously, he either does, or he doesn't realize it. There is simply no other choice left.

Now, if he does know that his project causes pain to those who already suffered far more than enough through the loss of their loved ones on 9/11, than his insistence on pushing ahead tells us that he is quite simply a sadist, content and even delighted in inflicting further pain; if he is not aware of this side effect of his project, despite all the outcry caused by it, than he is so insulated in his own world and is so devoid of empathy that no human emotion can get through to him.

In either case, what is then Imam Rauf's worth as a clergyman? What kind of advice can a man so aloof from the world (or the one that is so cruel) give to his charges? What sort of wisdom can he impart to them?

The other question is -- how typical is Imam Rauf of the Muslim clergy? If this deeply insensitive, self-absorbed, un-understanding, un-empathetic person is a fair representative of this class of people (leaving alone the much-touted view that he is the very best of them, being by far the most egalitarian, progressive, spiritual and enlightened, which by inference means that the rest are even worse than him), than there is but precious little hope that some mutual understanding between Muslims and people of other world views -- the goals ostensibly advocated by Imam Rauf's "Cordoba Center" -- will indeed come about through its construction.

Whether on Ground Zero or elsewhere.