Are NY Muslims being deliberately provocative ?

[modeller]

I have had this article sent to me from NY which should be of interest to ABers . It concerns the wish of Muslims to build a Mosque on the site of Ground Zero.

This article is written by two liberal Muslim Canadians who consider it to be deliberatively provocative.

I know this is US rather than UK but being as we have also suffered at the hands of extremists I can well imagine similar requests being made here.

http://www.ottawaciti...an/3370303/story.html

[andy-hughes]

i can understand that the issue of a mnosque being constructed on Ground Zero is a seriously sensitive issue for all concerned.

My view is that to see it a provocation is to stoke the flames of extremism and reaction that led to the tragedy in the first place.

To allow peaceful Muslims to build a house of worship on the site of an attrocity carried out by those who have nothing to do with faith and everything to do with power and hate, may well be a step towards healing the dreadful wounds that 911 caused.

I think the people of New York should be allowed a reforendum on the issue, and their views respected.

[McMouse]

My nephew lives in NY and told me it is not a mosque. There is a community building near the Ground Zero site and within this multi-faith building it is proposed to have a room dedicated to Islamic culture available to anyone to visit.

[Gromit]

The attack on the World Trade Centre was by terrorists, not by the muslim religion. Muslims were amongst those who were murdered on that day. The attackers did not want religious freedom and unity, they attacked it. By attacking tolerance and attacking freedom of worship, you are ineffect agreeing with the terrorists.

The Mayor of NY summed it up best when he said:
// We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That’s life and it’s part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11.

“On that day, 3,000 people were killed because some murderous fanatics didn’t want us to enjoy the freedom to profess our own faiths, to speak our own minds, to follow our own dreams and to live our own lives.

“Of all our precious freedoms, the most important may be the freedom to worship as we wish. And it is a freedom that, even here in a City that is rooted in Dutch tolerance, was hard-won over many years. //

http://www.nyc.gov/po...sed1978&rc=1194&ndi=1

The New York Times also wrote an excellent Editorial about this:

http://www.nytimes.co...to%20Tolerance&st=cse

[andy-hughes]

Interesting post McMouse, and yet another example of the media's ability to construct a range of mountains from a molehill - especially if there is controversy which can be translated into sales, at the end of it.

I do believe that tolerence and acceptance in all people is the only way our world population can learn to live alongside each other. none of us has special rights to our space, or our faith if we have one - that approach would go a long way to calming down the rifts between nidividuals and nations alike.

[Ric.ror]

I agree that the attack was by terrorists not supported by the vast majority of Mosleums, but a little sensitivity and discretion could be shown to those still grieving

[naomi24]

Yes, I think they are being deliberately provocative, and it's insensitive to even suggest building a mosque there. If anything is built, it should be something tasteful and well thought through that has no connection to any religion.

[anotheoldgit]

/// peaceful Muslims, /// /// extremism, /// /// Islamic culture ///,

/// The attack on the World Trade Centre was by terrorists, not by the muslim religion.///,

I am confused.

Oh how easy WW2 would have been if we had only been fighting the Nazi party (ie extremists) and not the rest of the German people also.

[anotheoldgit]

/// I do believe that tolerence and acceptance in all people is the only way our world population can learn to live alongside each other. none of us has special rights to our space, or our faith if we have one - that approach would go a long way to calming down the rifts between nidividuals and nations alike. ///

"GO A LONG WAY" ``to calming down the rifts between individuals and nations alike.???????

It would be a blooming miracle, are you seriously suggesting that mankind could ever come round to your way of thinking?

[Gromit]

Noami,

A memorial is to be built at ground zero.
http://www.wtcsitememorial.org/

The proposed mosque is not at ground zero. It is a few blocks down the street. It was untouched by the collapse. The NY coucil have just given permission for a building to be demolished so the mosque can be built. The opponents of the mosque wanted a preservation order put on the building, to block the new building.

Here is a picture of the site (red box) in relation to the WTC site.

http://2.bp.blogspot....+of+Cordoba+House.png

[Gromit]

AOG, Here is a list of dead muslims to cheer you up.

Samad Afridi
Ashraf Ahmad
Shabbir Ahmad
Umar Ahmad
Azam Ahsan
Ahmed Ali
Tariq Amanullah
Touri Bolourchi
Salauddin Ahmad Chaudhury
Abdul K. Chowdhury
Cantor Fitzgerald)
Mohammad S. Chowdhury
Jamal Legesse Desantis
Ramzi Attallah Douani
SaleemUllah Farooqi
Syed Fatha
Osman Gani
Mohammad Hamdani
Salman Hamdani
Aisha Harris
Shakila Hoque
Nabid Hossain
Shahzad Hussain
Talat Hussain
Mohammad Shah Jahan
Yasmeen Jamal
Mohammed Jawarta
Arslan Khan Khakwani
Asim Khan
Ataullah Khan
Ayub Khan
Qasim Ali Khan
Sarah Khan
Taimour Khan
Yasmeen Khan
Zahida Khan
Badruddin Lakhani
Omar Malick
Nurul Hoque Miah
Mubarak Mohammad
Boyie Mohammed
Raza Mujtaba
Omar Namoos
Mujeb Qazi
Tarranum Rahim
Ehtesham U. Raja
Ameenia Rasool
Naveed Rehman
Yusuf Saad

[naomi24]

Oh thanks Gromit. I was sure I'd read that a memorial was to be built. I thought they must have changed their minds when I read this question. In that case, apart from my personal feelings on religion, I can't really see the problem. If it overlooked Ground Zero, or was clearly prominent in the immediate area, it would be insensitive.

[Davethedog]

When the tube bombings happened here, wasn't it widely reported that it was imam's in Mosques that had radicalised those involved? isn't it also true that that the radicalisisation of young English muslims happens because of teachings (brainwashing) in mosques? Wasn't it also true that people are sent to Pakistan to be educated using money raised in Mosques? Abu Hamza was the Imam of the Finsbury Park mosque.

House of worship my a%se

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

If that is a list of passengers who were of the Muslim faith, and who died when the twin towers were hit, then why haven't you also provided a list of all those other victims who followed, or didn't follow other faiths?

Or are you only interested in Muslims?

[Gromit]

Davethedog

Iman's possibly, but unlikely to be in the local mosques and probably not from this country either. They were radicalised by material and films on jihadist websites which originate oversees. The 7/7 bombers visited Pakistan with their own money.

[andy-hughes]

GO A LONG WAY" ``to calming down the rifts between individuals and nations alike.???????

It would be a blooming miracle, are you seriously suggesting that mankind could ever come round to your way of thinking?

Yes I am seriously suggesting it - because if no-one does seriously suggest it, it's never going to happen is it?

I could simply accept that intolerence and violence between faiths and nations is our lot, and we must accept it, or I could, as an individual, hope for tolerence and peace between us, and what is the world except millions of individuals just like me?

If no-one thinks of changing things, things will never change.

It would be a 'blooming miracle', but that's not reason not to wish and hope for it.

[Gromit]

That was a list of people who died in the twin towers while going about their everyday work. I posted it to remind you that muslims were the victims of 9/11 just as much as any other religion. The attack was indiscriminate and by fanatics. To blame those people on the list I posted as being the enemy also is disgusting.

[Kromovaracun]

"If that is a list of passengers who were of the Muslim faith, and who died when the twin towers were hit, then why haven't you also provided a list of all those other victims who followed, or didn't follow other faiths? "

Gromit is trying to support his point that: "The attack on the World Trade Centre was by terrorists, not by the muslim religion. Muslims were amongst those who were murdered on that day.", which he made very early in the thread. He is trying to do so by providing a list of said Muslims.

Jeez, it's really not hard...

[Davethedog]

Gromit are you naive or being obtuse?

Abu Hmaza was the Imam of the Finsbury Park Mosque - Why did the 7/7 bombers go to Pakistan in the first place - all but one of the 7/7 had houses to pay for and young families to provide for, where did they get the money from.

Without doubt not all Imams are in the radicalisation business and I am not going to continue this but the 7/7 were radicalised in Mosques.

[Kromovaracun]

Didn't see Gromit's post there. How very superfluous of me.

[modeller]

I think we are moving away from the fundemental question of the articles' authors. Which is I think ; In view of the fact the 9/11 event was carried out by Muslims is the proposed building of the Mosque in the vicinity a provocative act ? They back up their arguement by saying there are already numerous Islamic centres in the area and therefore they believe another one is being provocative.
I was in the World Trade Centre the year before 9/11 and I didn't notice any outward signs of Islam . So I'm surprised they would even need a Mosque in the area and especially near that site.
However times may have changed.