But what
do Arab Muslims think about the so-called “ground-zero mosque”?
“Many
Muslims fear that the mosque will become a shrine for Islamists, which would
remind Americans of what Muslims did on 9/11,” Dr. Gamal Abd Al-Gawad, director
of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo told The Media
Line.
“Some
people express concern that if the mosque will be built, it will harm Muslims
and Islam in America. It’s not good for Muslims and Islam to be in the heart of
such a controversy,” he added.
Abd
Al-Gawad said that people in the Arab world prefer to keep their distance from
the Manhattan mosque issue, viewing it primarily as an internal American
matter.
“The
prevalent trend is that it’s about tolerance and liberals in the US, not about
Islam itself,” he said.
Abd
Al-Gawad echoed the words of columnist Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, general manager
of Al-Arabiya television. In a column titled “A House of Worship or a Symbol of
Destruction?” published in the Arab daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat on Sunday, Al-Rashed
criticized the wisdom of building a mosque so close to the “burial site” of
9/11.
“Muslims
do not aspire for a mosque next to the September 11 cemetery,” Al-Rashed wrote,
doubting the motives behind the initiative to build the mosque.
“The
mosque is not an issue for Muslims, and they have not heard of it until the
shouting became loud between the supporters and the objectors, which is mostly
an argument between non-Muslim US citizens!” he added.
Samir
Al-Saadawi, editor of foreign affairs for the Arab daily Al-Hayat said Arabs
and Muslims were skeptical about the initiative to build the mosque.
“This is
an American issue, but Arab public opinion regards it with skepticism.”
Al-Saadawi told The Media Line. “The Americans [are] running the show, i.e. the
right wing and the lobbies are viewed by Arab and Muslim public opinion as
biased against Islam in general.”
“The American
society does not want to see a Muslim symbol near ground zero,” Al-Saadawi
added. “From an American perspective this may be right, but it has not helped
the American image in Arab eyes.”
Saadawi
added that the involvement of President Barack Obama in the matter did not help
in mitigating negative Arab sentiments.
“He was
too soft in his approach. He should have defended the mosque more strongly. His
position is weakening every day, and he seems to resemble his predecessor
George W. Bush,” Al-Saadawi said. ? Some Muslims were more positive about the mosque. Shakib
Bin-Makhlouf, president of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe,
lauded President Obama’s endorsement of the mosque, adding that it could
improve strained American-Islamic relations in the post-9/11 era.
“This may
deepen American resentment of Islam, but it could also have a good effect.
There is no room for pessimism.” Bin-Makhlouf told The Media Line.
“Islam
has nothing to do with the events that happened on 9/11,” Bin-Makhlouf added.
“Unfortunately, the media has contributed in tying terrorism to Islam. When a
non-Muslim commits an act of terror, no-one referrers to his religion.”
Unsurprisingly,
the American debate surrounding the mosque has triggered some Arab
self-criticism about freedom in the Arab world.
“This is
the secret of their power,” an anonymous Yemeni talk-backer commented on the
Al-Arabiya website, referring to the United States. “It is their tolerance and
acceptance of the other despite their placement in a position of strength. What
would happen if Christians asked us, the Arabs, to build a church?”
