Thursday, August 05, 2010
Ground Zero mosque wins approval
From The Hindu
After months of wrenching debate that tested the boundaries of religious tolerance in the United States, lower Manhattan’s Community Board 1 this week removed the final obstacle blocking the construction of a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks.
The Board gained the approval of New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission, which unanimously voted not to extend landmark status to the Park Place building, where the mosque and community centre were planned.
In the absence of the landmark designation, as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “There is nothing in the law that would prevent the owners from opening a mosque within the existing building.”
Issuing a strong statement of support favouring the mosque’s promoters, the Cordoba Initiative, the Mayor added that the building was private property, and the owners had a right to use the building as a house of worship.
Fiercely debated issue
In May this year, the Community Board had fiercely debated but ultimately endorsed the plan to build a mosque on the site, by a vote of 29-to-1. The decision was attacked shortly thereafter by Tea Party leaders such as Mark Williams, who made disparaging remarks about Islam, terrorism and the purpose of having a mosque.
However even some with less extreme views had criticised the plans to build a mosque on Ground Zero. For example, media reports had quoted Rosemary Cain, whose son, a fireman, died in the attacks, as saying, “I think it’s despicable. That’s sacred ground. It’s a slap in the face. How could anybody give them permission to build a mosque there?” Similarly Bill Doyle, father of a 9/11 victim, reportedly said, “What I’m frightened about is that it’s almost going to be another protest zone — a meeting place for radicals.”
However, Mayor Bloomberg defended the plans for the mosque, noting that the World Trade Center site would forever hold a special place in the hearts of New Yorkers. “But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves — and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans — if we said ‘no’ to a mosque in Lower Manhattan,” he said.
Mr. Bloomberg also pointed out that there were many Muslims among those killed on 9/11 and “our Muslim neighbours grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans”. He said that if they treated Muslims differently than anyone else, New Yorkers would be betraying their values and playing into their enemies’ hands. “For that reason, I believe that this is an important test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetime... and it is critically important that we get it right,” he said.
After months of wrenching debate that tested the boundaries of religious tolerance in the United States, lower Manhattan’s Community Board 1 this week removed the final obstacle blocking the construction of a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks.
The Board gained the approval of New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission, which unanimously voted not to extend landmark status to the Park Place building, where the mosque and community centre were planned.
In the absence of the landmark designation, as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “There is nothing in the law that would prevent the owners from opening a mosque within the existing building.”
Issuing a strong statement of support favouring the mosque’s promoters, the Cordoba Initiative, the Mayor added that the building was private property, and the owners had a right to use the building as a house of worship.
Fiercely debated issue
In May this year, the Community Board had fiercely debated but ultimately endorsed the plan to build a mosque on the site, by a vote of 29-to-1. The decision was attacked shortly thereafter by Tea Party leaders such as Mark Williams, who made disparaging remarks about Islam, terrorism and the purpose of having a mosque.
However even some with less extreme views had criticised the plans to build a mosque on Ground Zero. For example, media reports had quoted Rosemary Cain, whose son, a fireman, died in the attacks, as saying, “I think it’s despicable. That’s sacred ground. It’s a slap in the face. How could anybody give them permission to build a mosque there?” Similarly Bill Doyle, father of a 9/11 victim, reportedly said, “What I’m frightened about is that it’s almost going to be another protest zone — a meeting place for radicals.”
However, Mayor Bloomberg defended the plans for the mosque, noting that the World Trade Center site would forever hold a special place in the hearts of New Yorkers. “But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves — and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans — if we said ‘no’ to a mosque in Lower Manhattan,” he said.
Mr. Bloomberg also pointed out that there were many Muslims among those killed on 9/11 and “our Muslim neighbours grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans”. He said that if they treated Muslims differently than anyone else, New Yorkers would be betraying their values and playing into their enemies’ hands. “For that reason, I believe that this is an important test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetime... and it is critically important that we get it right,” he said.
Labels: Ground Zero mosque, World Trade Center
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Mosque plan for WTC site wins city approval
From The Hindu
New York’s World Trade Center (WTC) site, the target of the 9/11 attacks, has become ground zero for a less deadly but equally emotive conflict around questions of religion.
This week a community board in Manhattan fiercely debated but ultimately endorsed a plan to build a mosque near the spot where the WTC stood prior to the attacks.
The proposal’s passage, by a vote of 29-to-1, came after weeks of heated discussions that saw the idea being staunchly opposed by some of the families and friends of 9/11 victims and, more remotely, by a leader of the right-wing Tea Party movement.
Media reports quoted Rosemary Cain, whose son, a fireman, died in the attacks, as saying, “I think it’s despicable. That’s sacred ground. It’s a slap in the face. How could anybody give them permission to build a mosque there?”
Some made a subtler point: Bill Doyle, father of a 9/11 victim, reportedly said, “What I’m frightened about is that it’s almost going to be another protest zone — a meeting place for radicals.”
Radicals court controversy
Sure enough, it would appear that radicals have wasted little time in climbing on board the bandwagon. Mark Williams, a leader of the fiscally and otherwise conservative Tea Party movement courted controversy when he recently made disparaging remarks about Islam, terrorism and the purported use of the mosque for propaganda by a “cult”.
However given the extreme nature of Mr. Williams’ comments, the New York community authorities were quick to reiterate their support for the mosque proposal.
Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer said, “When a hate-filled individual like Mark Williams spreads lies intended to injure millions of Americans, incite bigotry, and undermine our democracy, we must stand up and respond with the truth.”
He added that the mission of the centre, to be called Cordoba House, was “to establish a vibrant and world-class facility in New York City that promotes tolerance and pluralism that will strengthen relationships and attract those of other faiths to integrate and learn about Islam”.
State Senator Daniel Squadron noted that community, religious and civic organisations had been a big part of the extraordinary resurgence of Lower Manhattan, arguing, “Religious intolerance, demagoguery, and fear-mongering have no place in the discussion about development on and around the World Trade Center site.”
The mosque’s development is being led by the Cordoba Initiative which, according to founder Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is about “moderate American Muslims who are the vast majority of the Muslims in the world and who condemn terrorism and 9/11”. Imam Rauf noted, “We have been and want to continue to be part of a coalition of Muslims and non-Muslims that work to eliminate terrorism.”
Labels: 9/11, 9/11 attacks, Ground Zero, Mark Williams, World Trade Center, WTC
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