Is Building a Mosque in New York City Necessary?
I first saw Ground Zero in New York City in 2007 when we spent Christmas in New York and I wrote the article on Associated Content "How to See Manhattan in 48 Hours."
While available land is hard to find in and around greater Manhattan, I don't believe it is necessary to build a mosque at the location; even though the mosque itself is planned to be more of a community center, according to reports, styled after a YMCA-type structure.
Currently, the ASMA has offices located within the Interchurch Center, "a 19-story building which houses offices and agencies of various religions, and of ecumenical and interreligious organizations." It's located on the upper west side of New York City at 475 Riverside Drive.
If the ASMA wants to make a compelling case for building a mosque at Ground Zero, then the organization should write a compelling case on its website.
On the home page, the organization's name shows as American Society for Muslim Advancement but on the contact page the title name changes to American Sufi Muslim Association.
Does the ASMA represent Sufism - a more mystical form of Islam?
The ASMA was "founded in 1997 to elevate the discourse on Islam and foster environments in which Muslims thrive" according to the organization's website. The group has five strategies it pursues: educate, incubate, advocate, organize, and mobilize.
There is also an article titled "A Bridge Builder between America and Islam" from the Christian Science Monitor detailing how America's future is linked to Islam which may not be negative. The imam quoted in the article has a mosque just blocks from where the attacks took place.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has defended the plan for the mosque, reports Politico, arguing that blocking it would impinge on religious freedom, and he's denounced calls to look into the group's funding.
Look more into Sufism and its place within Islam on this site by Dr. Alan Godlas of the University of Georgia.
Published by Don Simkovich
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7 Comments
Post a CommentI'd have to go with Tony and your guest, Julia, on this one. There are even Muslims who object to the idea of the Mosque here...they feel it is only exacerbating tension, not promoting healing. But -- good report.
Tony you make some good points, and yes, the leadership of the mosque or the center should state why so close to the WTC; otherwise why not another piece of real estate.
Bloomberg is shirking his duties by not investigating the leadership of this mosque. They do want Sharia law and that means they are a threat to America.
Additionally, what we fail to mention is that we (USA) are actively engaged in armed military conflict with Islamic extremists. The mosques (there are now two mosques intended to go up near GZ) declare to promote sharia law (a desire of jihadists) and to "raise the flag of allah" at the WTC..will certainly give comfort and encouragement to an active enemy. This issue transcends Religious Freedom and is a travesty to not only the victims of 9/11 but our military that is currently engaged in combat.
The answers lies in the group's intentions..the Mosque that is scheduled to go up near Ground Zero is planned by Imam Rauf.who makes no bones about desiring Sharia law, which usurps the Constitution.The project is the Cordoba Initiative, which by title alone gives hint to tyrannical designs. The Imam has called for not only Sharia law, but for Dawa from the rubble of the WTC (title of his book in Malaysia) He is also funded in part by Malaysia, a foreign govt that also desires Sharia law. The Cordoba Initiative also contains a Sharia Project also heavily funded.
Thanks, David, for your comment. Maybe the question to ask is WWJAD? (What Would John Adams Do?)
Tough question for a purported democracy... albeit of the republic-variety... to answer without feeling pressured by admittedly hypocritical thoughts.