The Cordoba Institute mosque, commonly dubbed the “Ground Zero Mosque,” has created its fair share of controversy over the past few months. Although Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has successfully managed to pass over all the legal barriers preventing the construction of the mosque, the rhetoric surrounding it remains as heated as ever.
People mainly fall into one of two camps. One side argues that building a mosque two blocks from the former site of of the World Trade Center is insensitive, “a stab in the heart to the families of the innocent victims of those horrific attacks,” according to Sarah Palin’s Facebook post.
The other camp declares that the building would be representative of America’s religious tolerance and respect for due process. Said New York Mayor Michael Bloomburg, “We would betray our values and play into our enemies’ hands if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else.”
I find myself falling into the second category. I like the idea of building a mosque at Ground Zero, if only because I think it will remind people that the U.S. is a nation of religious freedom and that all citizens have equal protection under the law. But I realize that there is another, more personal reason for my wanting there to be a mosque near Ground Zero.
I think young people have a unique perspective on the issue, since we are the first to come of age since the attack on New York. I know many people who think of 9/11 as the Kennedy assassination of our generation – we each remember exactly where we were when we heard the news.
I can say that Sept. 11 certainly had an impact on me. I was 14 when the towers were hit, and I remember being in band class when my friend told me the Pentagon was under attack. At the time I thought that he was making a bad joke. An hour later I sat in front of a television in my physical science class and watched the towers collapse.
The proposed mosque is actually not even visibile from Ground Zero
I also remember how quickly we got into a tiny country I had never heard of called “Afghanistan,” and how soon afterward the country ceded the spotlight to another threat, an “axis of evil” nation with WMDs. I think about the fact that I was in driving school the year we entered Iraq, and while I eventually passed my exam and left, the conflict continued on. We were at war throughout the rest of my high school education – and then, my undergraduate education. And while combat troops are now in the process of drawing down, there will nevertheless be American soldiers in Iraq by the time I finish graduate school next year. My country has been at war for my entire adult life. And at least some part of it is still debating whether the threat to our country is coming from al-Qaeda, or Muslims in general.
The attack on New York put these events in motion, and Ground Zero remains a site symbolic of the conflict faced by Americans today. The site will always be a place of loss and mourning – a scar on the face of city and a permanent reminder of the destructive power of hatred. But I’m beginning to be concerned that the feelings of fear and anger that gripped the nation after the towers were destroyed will endure beyond their time, and that we as a nation are having trouble overcoming this simple, irrational fear of Islam and moving forward to a deeper and calmer understanding of the conflict we face.
The U.S. is not at war with Islam, and we should never allow ourselves to think that we are. Muslims are no better or worse than any other people or society, and they certainly shouldn’t be called upon to forever apologize for the actions of 19 murderers almost a decade ago.
As a Millennial who grew up in the post – 9/11 era, I support the building of the mosque near Ground Zero because I feel that it would reflect a development of my nation beyond the irrational emotions that defined the early years of my adulthood. I’m happy the mosque will be built, not just because I like the ideology of religious tolerance but because I want my country to cease, on an emotional level, its feelings of conflict with Muslims and Islam.
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons
“My country has been at war for my entire adult life.” Yup. And it’s awful and sick and I want it to end… but it can’t until Americans realize that we are not at war with Islam.
geez…
Great article, though, Derek!
“September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows strongly supports efforts to bring an Islamic Cultural Center to lower Manhattan, near the Ground Zero site. We believe that welcoming the Center, which is intended to promote interfaith tolerance and respect, is consistent with fundamental American values of freedom and justice for all.”
http://www.peacefultomorrows.org/article.php?id=977
These people actually lost people that they love, just saying.
1) I thought we already established this as a non-issue? http://www.thenextgreatgeneration.com/2010/08/08/how-do-you-feel-about-a-mosque-near-ground-zero/ (see comments)
2) To give some more perspective on why this should be a non-issue: Images of other establishments in the same vicinity to Ground Zero as the proposed Mosque http://daryllang.com/blog/4421
You sir are delusional.
As someone who used to work and play in the twin towers I have a slightly more connected perspective than someone who heard about the attack in band class.
Windows on the World was a beautiful bar/restaurant/night life spot where every Saturday I would meet friends, play music, have cocktails and dance. Even though Windows didn’t open up until noon when the North Tower was hit some of the prep cooks, bar managers and other staff were working and were savagely murdered.
While it’s not politically correct to say so the fact of the matter is Islam is at war with the western world and America is the current target.
Throughout history, starting during the life of Muhammad, Islamic conquests have been marked by conversion of notable buildings as a sign to the people they sacked. The Umayyad Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the most fought over of all in the most sacred land on earth for both Jews and Christians the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Face the facts, the only reason they are trying to build this Mosque on the site where they murdered nearly 3000 people is to mark it as a sign of military victory and to act as a remembrance of pain and suffering they inflicted upon this country.
Do not forget the resounding cheers that rang out in all Muslim nations on 9-11 or the calls for more of the same.
In a survey of Egyptian Muslims
91% said they supported and rejoiced the attacks of 9/11.
89% said America deserved to be attacked because it is an infidel country that supports the Jews.
83% said 9/11 inspired so much zeal in them that they themselves were willing to volunteer as suicide bombers to carry out attacks against targets in America or Israel.
94% said that 9/11 attackers died as shaheed ( martyrs.)
87% said that 9/11 marked the beginning of the end for America.
88% said that they supported more attacks on America.
Pull your head out of the sand and ask yourself why most people are opposed to this mosque being built. Its not the majority of Americans that have an “irrational fear of Islam” as you suggest, its because they see what history has written and know that a tiger can not change its stripes.
If you actually believed in tolerance and equality you should be asking why the Muslims behind this are not tolerant or compassionate regarding the feelings of New Yorkers (or all Americans). Why don’t the take up some of the various offers by developers to move the location of their proposed mosque? Why do they insist on ripping this wound open deeper when they could easily do the right thing and work toward the healing process?
Would you mind linking to that survey?
The survey was conducted and published by Free Egypt http://www.medomagdy.com with the Press Release coming from one of its founders Mahmoud Salem.
Disclaimer* I readily admit I don’t read Egyptian so I am relying the translations of this I have found to be accurate.
Sorry Frazier, your generalizations and stats are flawed. Same goes for your logic. If you’re going to argue that “Islam is at war with the western world and America is the current target,” then you need to account for more facts: Muslims in this country—millions of them—enjoy their faith in the most mundane ways and don’t challenge American order; Muslims around the world—more than a billion of them—are not joining the greater jihad or killing people.
You’re talking about something truly exceptional. And while I’ll concede that textually the Quran is a more conflictual book than its Jewish or Christian cousins, more than a billion people—the vast overlooked majority and most American Muslims—are not abandoning this world in search of rewards in heaven. What does that tell us? There’s nothing essentially Islamic about this contest because no sizable chunk of the faithful are fighting for the cause.
You’re also connecting-the-statistical-dots without context. I remember the cheering crowds on 9/11 (don’t forget the only spontaneous vigil was held in Iran) and I know the initial support al Qaeda enjoyed on that day. You need to understand that these surveys were a referendum on American policies in the region. Egyptians partially blame the US for their condition because of our support of the Mubarak regime. To many there who feel indirectly victimized by Uncle Sam, the US suffered a black eye on 9/11. To be clearer: Without religion these people would’ve supported the attacks on political grounds.
MOST importantly your stats are outdated—which is a big deal if you’re going to throw around stats: 83% said they were willing to become a suicide bomber and that didn’t happen. And today approval of al Qaeda and religious terrorism is in free fall. Compare 2003 (the year we invaded Iraq) with 2010 here:
http://pewglobal.org/database/?indicator=20&survey=12&response=Confidence&mode=chart
You’re talking about these people losing 75% (!) of their support in less than a decade. 90% support is vanishing, in some countries it’s down to single digits. And if you’re going to make some claim—like Gingrich and others—that this mosque is a proud Muslim flag hatefully erected to deliberately insult Americans, you need to back it up and prove the conspiracy, not just insinuate it.
Ten years after 9/11 Americans still know jack shit about Islam and unfortunately for Muslims in this country they’ve arrived too recently to be trusted and are too few in number. Unlike Christianity and Judaism—which are familiar and established, although Jews only became familiar to us in the last 75 years—Islam is suspect because our only exposure to it has been violence.
I can safely assume from your post that you don’t have any Muslim friends. If they blew up anything it would be your argument.
Airplanes played more of a role in 9/11 than the religion of Islam, and last I checked NYC still has 2 airports.
This site is retarded.
This entire comment thread is filled with people who need dictionaries and history lessons.
Pls educate us….am guessing u are not gonna stop there? or Are U?
Well written Forrest. Dear Derek, please do, pull your head out of the sand.
Tolerance goes both ways. The Muslims in favor of building this mosque were not responsible for 9/11. However, they should understand that this will be seen as a further victory by those who were. The building of a mosque on conquered land would be seen by Islamic terrorists as a greater victory over the infidels. So, why would any Muslim group, who say they are against acts of terror, want to further empower that enemy? The Muslims in favor of a mosque, two blocks from ground zero, should take a lesson from those Muslims who are against it. This was never about religious tolerance. So, how about showing some tolerance for the families of the victims of 9/11.
Can’t help thinking that if we don’t allow a private enterprise to be built upon private land somewhere sort of near Ground Zero, those poor people in the towers will have died in vain.
Jesus H Fucking Christ.
Religious freedom is the LAW and what you say and believe are protected by the First Amendment, a cornerstone of our country if there ever was one.
If we decide to muzzle the Muslims we are going against one of our most world-changing principles. Why would we do this? Obviously, if this proposed mosque can be found guilty of hate crimes or violence, the people who run it will have to face a court, and not of public opinion.
Seriously, whatever damage Islam has done to the US has been far outdone by our response: the Patriot Act, the establishment of Homeland Security, the stupid “threat warning” lights everywhere which no one even understands, the rise of idiots like Sarah Palin, the massive rise of Fox news, the staggering growth of evangelicals like Rick Warren and on and on and on.
I am saddened and discouraged by the debate over the mosque, not because there shouldn’t be one, but because of the quality of it.
Woa now, calm down.
Making no comment on the rest of your points, be careful when you start equating “getting offended by a dark time in our past and asking them to build a bit further away” and “muzzling islamic-americans like dogs.”
It’s this kind of rhetoric that quickly degrades arguments into hyperbole (which you should care about, since you seem distraught over the lack of quality in the debate).
I was not present at the time of the attacks – this is true. But the real question is not whether the 9/11 attacks were a sickening tragedy for New Yorkers – they were – but who is to blame for them. Many within the US feel that the whole of Islam should bear the burden of guilt for the event, while in fact the blame rests squarely upon Al Qaeda. The two shouldn’t be conflated, since the vast majority of Muslims are normal, decent people who condemn the event and the use of terrorism.
As someone who has spent the past six years in the study of the Middle East, who has lived in Cairo and has interacted with Muslims on a daily basis, I think I can claim to have at least a moderate understanding of the nature of Islam and Muslims. My experience tells me that Muslims are ordinary folks. They aren’t frothing at the mouth with hatred for America – Egyptians, as a matter of fact, are among the warmest and most helpful people I have ever met. This remains true even when I declare that I am an American, a fact I do not hide here and see no reason to conceal.
I do not have my “head in the sand” as some of the above commenters have suggested – I do see anger and frustration towards the U.S. and it’s policies. The point, as MMR pointed out above, is that where they exist these grievances are political, not religious in nature.
The only people who use religious grounds to justify attacks on our country are terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and their affiliates. It is fortunate, then that neither they nor their affiliates have anything to do with the construction of this mosque or with its policies. Instead it is moderate Muslims who are crafting the building – as a community center complete with basketball court and kitchen – with the stated goal of promoting interfaith tolerance and cooperation. That’s a mission that I support, and it’s a symbol that I think could do our country some good.
At the end of the day I stand by my belief that the fear and feelings of conflict some American’s hold towards Islam are groundless. Ordinary Muslims, like those living in this country and serving it abroad, have nothing to apologize for.
Putting this mosque so close to Ground Zero is a slap in the face to the Western World, and more importantly, the victims of the September 11th attacks. If all goes according to plan for, they plan to dedicate this abomination on SEPTEMBER 11, 2011. Radical Islam will trumpet this throughout the Muslim world as a victory over the infidels. Do you see the significance here Derek or is your head stuck so far up your a** that you just don’t see reality?
It’s absolutely true that not all Muslims are terrorists, but well, so far all of the terrorists have been Muslim. Therefore the Muslim Community should be “sensitive” towards the rest of us who aren’t of the Islamic faith and not vise versa. What’s next Derek, a statue honoring the Waffen SS at Auschwitz (after all NOT all Germans were Nazis, some even opposed Hitler) or maybe building the David Duke Center for “White Studies” across the street from the Baptist Church where MLK used to preach?
If they want to build this thing in NYC so badly, put it in the South Bronx. It’s still a largely impoverished area and the development would be welcome.
Alright, alright HOLD ON THERE! “so far all of the terrorists have been Muslim” WHAT?! Timothy McVeigh was not a Muslim, but he was a terrorist. The Stern Gang were JEWISH terrorists. The JDL were JEWISH terrorists. There is plenty of terrorism wrought on the world that isn’t at the hands of Muslims.
Please, please, please don’t misunderstand the term “terrorism”
“It’s still a largely impoverished area and the development would be welcome” – and the area surrounding Ground Zero, desolate and boarded up, half-smashed buildings don’t need development? What?? The towers weren’t the only buildings impacted by 9/11 in that area.
The JDL is about as much of a “terrorist” organization as the ALF. Two groups with loud mouths that occasionally get picked on by ADL and SPLC because one of their members gets arrested for something stupid.
LaShawn’s implication here is that “all of the terrorists have been Muslim” not “all terrorists have been Muslim” meaning “the terrorists” we are speaking of.
I love the Timothy McVeigh line, for every McVeigh there are hundreds of Islamic terrorists. Yes, not all terrorists are Muslim. And not all Muslims are terrorists, but there is no broad based group on the face of the planet that has a subculture of terrorism that compares to that of Islam. There just isn’t.
Don’t forget the terror campaigns associated with the IRA long before Tmothy McVeigh and 9/11.
“What’s next Derek, a statue honoring the Waffen SS at Auschwitz (after all NOT all Germans were Nazis, some even opposed Hitler) or maybe building the David Duke Center for “White Studies” across the street from the Baptist Church where MLK used to preach?”
Certainly these monuments would be deplorable. But the analogy you make doesn’t quite fit. Making a statue honoring Nazis would be wrong, and making a statue honoring the 9/11 highjackers would be wrong. But would a monument commemorating German achievements be wrong, since Germany has the stain of Nazism in its past? Of course not. By the same token building a mosque for Islam is not wrong, even if a tiny component of Muslims pose a danger to the US.
The point is even more true, considering that Nazism made up such a large part of Germany and Radical Islam makes up only a tiny fraction of the Muslim religion.
Pope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzxHlbp26bA
Bush: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwShE7KmfBc
Fox News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m_sLsWFitY
“No matter the faith, Religious Freedom is beneficial for all of us” – The Vatican
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB4OkXbWv5g
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
~~~~
Think I covered all of the usual Conservative bases here, everyone is in agreement that total* Religious Freedom is important. If you honestly believe that building another mosque near Ground Zero is a “slap to the face,” perhaps you are in need of some face slapping? You can rest proud however, as there a very few people still alive whose world views lag behind the Vatican in progressiveness.
* – Excludes all non-Christrian religions
This Mosque will definitely be a center of healing – except for the fire fighters with chronic and degenerative lung disorders. There is no “healing” for them. Unless the “Cultural Center” has a kick ass pulmanry ward, maybe next to the water slide and food court.
But who cares they are mostly white and probably conservative, and they are also probably not Gen_Y so they invariably suck and aren’t cool. I heard some of them don’t even own iPhones. Stupid Idiots.
Emotional healing is very very different from physical healing. There is no way to take back what has been done, all we can do is move forward and try to create the world we want to live in.
What kind of world do you want to live in?
A world where the twin towers are still standing.
But I’d settle for a world without a Mosque near ground zero.
So is saying “I have Muslim friends” the Gen Y way of saying “I have black friends”, or Gen-X’s “I have gay friends”?
This mosque should not be built, its their beliefs that caused such great pain in our nation, they should all be deported and only true Americans should live here, non of thoes damn terrorists
“true Americans”
you mean like Native Americans? It’s because of the ignorance of you and people like you that the majority of the world dislikes the US.
Most of the negative comments on this feed are centered on blind generalizations. Not all Muslims are terrorists, likewise not all terrorists are muslims. I would go as far as to say the history of our own country is riddled with terrorist actions condoned by our very own government. I don’t see any of you disturbed by that.
Derek Gildea says:
August 18, 2010 at 4:21 pm
“What’s next Derek, a statue honoring the Waffen SS at Auschwitz (after all NOT all Germans were Nazis, some even opposed Hitler) or maybe building the David Duke Center for “White Studies” across the street from the Baptist Church where MLK used to preach?”
Certainly these monuments would be deplorable. But the analogy you make doesn’t quite fit. Making a statue honoring Nazis would be wrong, and making a statue honoring the 9/11 highjackers would be wrong. But would a monument commemorating German achievements be wrong, since Germany has the stain of Nazism in its past? Of course not. By the same token building a mosque for Islam is not wrong, even if a tiny component of Muslims pose a danger to the US.
The point is even more true, considering that Nazism made up such a large part of Germany and Radical Islam makes up only a tiny fraction of the Muslim religion.
Derek,
Do you the significance behind the name “Cordoba” as in this mosque being called the “Cordoba Project”? And yeah, anything honoring anything German in the area of Auschwitz would be considered insensitive, even by most Germans.
..And to Alex Pearlman, as far “terrorism” goes you forgot to mention the Kobar Towers, the USS Cole, our Embassies in Africa, the Tehran Embassy (probably before your time) Bali, the London Subway attacks, the Spanish Train attacks (“3-11″), the Moscow movie theater, the murder of innocent school children in Russia, the “shoe bomber”, the Christmas Day Bomber, Ft Hood, The Little Rock Military Recruiting Station, the DC Sniper, the Beirut Marine Barracks, the Beirut embassy, the attempt to bomb LA X airport New Year’s Eve ’99), the attempted attacks at Ft Dix NJ, the plan to blow simultaneously 11 American airliners over the Pacific, etc.. Need I go on ?
Oh wait, these were all done recently by Muslim extremists…Disregard.
The name “Cordoba” was initially meant to signify an era of cooperation between Islam and other faiths under the Muslim Capliphate in Spain between the 10th and 11th centuries. During this time, the city Cordoba was one of the most advanced and cultured cities in the world.
But because interpretation of the name became so negative, the group building the mosque decided to rename it “Park 51″ – a name that could offend nobody.
Frankly, I think that Olbermann put it best. Let’s look at the facts:
- this isn’t a mosque. It’s a cultural center, where Muslims can pray if they want to. A mosque is meant only for praying. This is a place where Muslims in the area can gather together, learn, have fun. Praying isn’t necessarily the main priority of this building.
- it’s not as close to Ground Zero as we think. It’s in an area that is basically devoid of all tourism. There are two Christian churches closer to the actual site.
- religious freedom is a basic human right. Let people worship as they please. What happens if we stop this from happening? Would the two Christian churches closer to Ground Zero need to be shut down? I think it would only be fair. If you limit one group, you must limit all groups. BOTTOM LINE
- not all terrorists are Muslims. The people responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center were extremists. Not all Muslims are extremists. To think this is just outrageous. We need to stop generalizing. I don’t think that everyone walks around thinking that all Christians are Pentecostalists. So why do we go around thinking every Muslim is an extremist?
People need to stop being so afraid of the things they’re unfamiliar with.
It’s funny how people in this nation continually meddle in discrimination and bigotry…. I guess time has not be that great of a teacher…. Some just need a cloak to hide their prevalent discriminatory tendencies– in this case 9/11.
Sensitive or not. Principles are principles and are not meant to be dispelled when the going gets rough.
America is the land of the free— now if one cannot uphold such a mantra at the feet of the the crumbled World Trade center… then that my friends is the biggest hypocrisy of all…
I guess all that talk about us living in a more racially/religiously tolerant america comes with a stipulation– only when times are rosy– Discrimination is the cousin of Racism….. first is fascinates and then assassinates.. lets not recreate a not so distant foe.
You are correct, tolerance does come with a stipulation. I personally think that all convicted pedophiles should be castrated then executed but in this country we tolerate them… to a point. We don’t let sex offenders live with in a certain radius to schools or playgrounds. Are you now going to say we are hypocrites for enacting stipulations that are obviously in the interest of the community?
Also, don’t forget that in a Muslim country we could not even debate this issue. The Christians or Jews who wanted to put up a church or synagogue would be stoned to death in the town square or beheaded in a soccer field.
As much as it may offend your infantile sense of right and wrong not everyone deserves to get what they want.
A tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye, then we’d all be toothless and blind (paraphrased)– Ghandi..
Prejudice begets prejudice, where does it end, and who ends it? who leads the way? Two wrongs dont make a right…
History has shown that it is sure cheaper and safer to be at peace than at war…. Check the Iraq/Afghanistan war estimates..
U cannot build a distrust with the same people u are tryin to build a bond with…. Thats why the middle east finds it hard to buy the rhetoric America sells to them…. Cos its just that, Rhetoric with no pragmatism… Its easy to talk the talk, what about the walk?
To castigate millions of muslims for the action of a few is inhumane and unfair. Plain and simple, its Racist…. When will america stop its sinful fraternization with discrimination… Am sure the slave merchants had a great reason for the enslavement of blacks too…..and the further discrimination of the N–ro.
Values and mantra’s must be stood by even when its not easy to do so..
This should be a non issue, it is sad… Very Sad… ANd if some of the hateful things been said about muslims are from milleniels, I say we wear our mourning black…. Cos the future would be a tradgedy..
>Plain and simple, its Racist…. When will america stop its sinful fraternization with discrimination…
It’s not racism. Islam isn’t a race. When will the liberal media stop it’s blatant misuse and weaponization of the term “racism”?
When I responded to the question posed on TNGG earlier, I said what’s the big deal? But clearly it is.
It seems to me that the more we show intolerance toward Muslims as a whole, the more reasons they have feel uncomfortable towards us. Sure it feels a bit counter intuitive, but making the issue black and white is probably what will hurt us most.
Knowing how Americans think and feel, symbolically it probably wasn’t the best idea to approach this divide in such a way. Perhaps a sitcom about the wacky lives of six Muslim friends living in NYC who frequent a hashish shop would have been a better start? A McKebab sandwich?
I’m not saying anyone has to like the symbol, but tolerating it and thinking about the larger issues this country has with Muslims seems like the most important thing this has raised.
They don’t all hate us, and they aren’t going away. In fact many of them are Americans, so they ARE one of us. So maybe it’s time we tried to find a little understanding?
Accolades jason ! Great words of wisdom….Glad to see that some still possess the deep virtue of tolerance in totality…
While I won’t touch the other issues here, there IS one argument that was made that I haven’t seen addressed anywhere:
Regardless of how YOU feel about the issue, there’s obviously people who feel otherwise. And, much like anti-abortionists, those same people are prone to protests and irrationality. How are the people attending this mosque supposed to worship in peace when it’s built in the face of such controversy?
If construction of a mosque to bring multiculturalism and religious tolerance to downtown New York are the primary concerns, it seems as if it’d be in EVERYONES best interest to choose a location which wouldn’t incite such controversy: Those who are offended would have nothing to be offended about, and those who want to worship would go unmolested about their daily lives.