Aug
19
I don’t usually use this blog to weigh in on and share my opinions about the weightier issues of the day – I learnt most of what I know about the planet you humans call ‘Earth’ from the back of cereal packets and the TV Guide, so I am not sure how much merit my analyses can have.
Nevertheless, today I thought I’d write a little piece on the situation in New York around the proposed construction of a mosque only two blocks away from the site of Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan. There is a storm of controversy because many in America feel that the construction of an Islamic centre so close to the scene of 9/11, an atrocity carried out in the name of extremist ‘Islam’, is insensitive and provocative. There is a sense, articulated aggressively by various right-wing commentators and political opportunists, that the site of the World Trade Centre has become ‘hallowed ground’ upon which the symbols of Islam are out of place.
Now, I am sure most Americans are sick of every man and his dog piping up (sorry!) with their view on what is essentially a zoning issue in New York, but the whole furore has been big news around the world. On many levels I can understand the opposition- the attack was something so shocking and horrifically out of the ordinary that it is easy to understand how the area has acquired special status in America. Similarly, I would not want, nobody wants, to offend the families of victims or reopen wounds in New York City. Such an act of brutality can never be excused or forgotten.
However, Freedom of Religion is one of the cornerstones of the American Constitution, which safeguards the rights of any citizen to freely practice their religion, whatever it may be. The body behind the construction of the mosque are very moderate (despite what some of the more hysterical pundits may say) and their centre would aim to embody an Islam as far as it is possible to be from the hateful ideology espoused by a tiny minority. The board behind the project contains Muslims, Jews and Christians and they have successfully secured the backing of New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg.
I guess what it boils down to, for me, is that this is an opportunity for America to show that she is better than her enemies. This is obviously not to say that the world’s only remaining superpower (for now) is perfect, but if the mosque is built I will see it not as an American capitulation to some kind of vague ‘Islamo-fascism’ (?) but rather as a brave step along the road to repairing the damage done by the 9/11 attacks. It would be an act of great tolerance symbolising the defeat of a destructive, reductionary ideology – an extension of Obama’s celebrated ‘New Beginnings’ speech given in Cairo last year, which reverberated around the Arab World and so impressed many of the Egyptians that I have met.
Tags: Featured Post, ground zero, islam, mosque, new york, obama
6 Responses to “Building a mosque in New York City”
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Here are a few of my thoughts on the “Ground Zero Mosque”…
1) It’s not on ground zero 2) It’s not even a mosque! It’s a 13-story freakin community center open for ALL people regardless of faiths or beliefs, complete with gyms, a culinary school, a swimming pool, and just happens to have a freakin praying space so muslims don’t have to curl in a ball on the bathroom floor and pray -something they do 5 times a day, everyday. How is this an example of muslims “being insensitive”? How is this “muslims abusing their rights in this great country”? How is this biting at Americans freedom??? Please, someone let me know: HOW?
Something else, WHAT IF IT WAS A MOSQUE (and it’s not), WHAT IS IT WAS ON GROUND ZERO (and it’s not)? The fact that people are offended by this, is proof that 70% of Americans are blaming 9/11 on Islam, and not some extremist terrorist organization.
I’ll tell you something. I’ve worked in two American hospitals, and 3 Canadian hospitals. In the American hospitals, I’d need to curl in a ball on a floor of some obscure deserted office and pray (I was lucky, other people had to do it in a bathroom to avoid stares), while in Canada, in all three hospitals, in three different cities, there was always a small room titled “Muslim prayer space” or “Meditation room”, right next to the Chapel. This small room simply had a clean rug on the ground.
I really cannot believe the irony and ignorance involved in this disgusting “debate”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZpT2Muxoo0
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ed Wright, Ed Wright. Ed Wright said: On a serious subject today – the proposed building of a mosque near Ground Zero in NYC. Please read if you have a mo! http://bit.ly/dAKwC4 [...]
Always good to read your blog Ed, a shame that the grassy green background dominates on mobile devices. I regard to the weightier issues, the average Jo, doesn’t know enough, hence the media furor. Your colleague TareX makes a fine point.
I agree with everything TareX says. Americans are very uninformed about the issue due in large part to biased media and politicians providing misinformation. Most reports fail to mention that that the building is a former store that has been closed for five years, putting a community center there could be great for that area.
Here is a blog that also mentions some of the neighbors in the area:
http://daryllang.com/blog/4421
I have gotten into a few arguments with people about the issue. I am currently living in Alabama (whose reputation I am sure precedes itself) and the ignorance of many of the people here is appalling. Counting down the days till I get to leave and start the CASAW program at Edinburgh.
Thanks for your thoughts guys – I feel like not a lot of liberal American politicians are willing to speak up about it… which is pretty shameful really.
Also, these right-wingers have mid-terms comings up and could be laying in to the Dems on all sorts of big issues (the economy etc) but instead THIS is their big cause. They are bringing nothing to the table but bigotry and bullshit.
That’s how it looks from over here, anyway
Here’s a great little article about interfaith support for the mosque over in California -
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jigW34suG4LEksWqOzTvq7IubV_wD9HNDAO00
Word.