Lessons from Cordoba House controversy
It is good news that a coalition of at least 40 religious and civic organizations recently formed an alliance to show support for the proposal to build an Islamic community center and mosque near New York’s Ground Zero.
The group, including relatives of those killed in 9/11 attacks, has launched a website — nyneighbors.org. Members of the coalition gathered at a municipal building in Manhattan to announce the creation of the group, which stands for protecting American values.
“New York Neighbors for American Values embraces the American constitutional values of religious freedom, diversity and equality. We stand together and rebuff the crude stereotypes meant to frighten and divide us,” the website said.
What impressed me the most was the statement of Donna Marsh O’Connor, the spokesperson for September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows who welcomed the center.
“We believe, too, that this building will serve as an emblem for the rest of the world that Americans stand against violence, intolerance and overt acts of racism and that we recognize that the evil acts of a few must never damn the innocent,” said Donna, who lost her daughter in the attack.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also made a strong statement in support of the Islamic center.
“If we say that a mosque and community center should not be built near the perimeter of the World Trade Center site... we would undercut the values and principles that so many heroes died protecting,” he said.
“We would send a signal around the world that Muslim-Americans may be equal in the eyes of the law, but separate in the eyes of their countrymen. And we would hand a valuable propaganda tool to terrorist recruiters who spread the fallacy that America is at war with Islam.”
Bloomberg noted that innocent Muslims, too, were killed on 9/11 and recognized one of the guests, Talat Hamdani, whose paramedic son Salman died at the World Trade Center.
It is worth mentioning that all local authorities have supported the 13-floor Islamic center project, which includes a mosque, a lecture hall and a swimming pool. Authorities also rejected claims from opponents that the project would be constructed on the debris of an important landmark in the city.
I explained all these events in order to make a point that although the United States is filled with extremism, racism and hate of Islam, the country embraces all Americans who uphold the great values of their forefathers who fought for the sake of freedom, justice, equality and supremacy of law.
The Islamic center project has faced several problems. There was strong opposition against building the center near Ground Zero. The issue surfaced while the US was preparing for midterm elections in Congress. Opportunists like Sarah Palin took up the issue in order to grab the votes of racists and Zionists.
As a result, President Barack Obama had to backtrack from his previous statement, which strongly supported the project. He had to do it to support his Democratic candidates contesting the election and ensure his reelection after his four-year term.
Obama commented during a trip to Florida that Muslims have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else in America. “As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country,” Obama said. “That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable,” Obama said.
The president continues: “Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect to those who are different from us — a way of life that stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today.”
The Zionist lobby and wealthy Jewish community’s domination of the country’s print and electronic media is another major obstacle, as it is focused on the activities of the project’s opponents, giving lesser publicity to the voice of supporters.
They want to frighten Americans about Islam and Muslims and spread hatred against them, creating a feeling that Muslims have besieged them in their strongholds in order to plan another attack.
One can see here the glaring absence of a strong Arab and Islamic influence in the US, as our countries have failed to go deep into the hearts of Americans and establish strong relations with the forces of goodness and moderation that support Arab and Muslim issues. It is a drastic and historic failure for which the Ummah is paying a big price.
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