On September 11, 2001, two civilian planes turned into terrorist torpedoes and literally slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, in Lower Manhattan, New York, killing 2,752 people.
Rise of Islamophobia
For the millions of people around the world, especially for Muslims, the collapse of the twin towers signalled a change that was unlike any others - that of defending their faith (like Shahrukh Khan says in his film My Name is Khan, "Mr President, I'm a Muslim and I'm not a terrorist.") and a tendency to brand every terrorist attack as an Islamic one.
For Americans though, it signalled a far more depressing and frightening prospect - of the jihadis bringing the war from far away Iraq and Afghanistan to closer home. This single attack showed the world that even Big Bully America can be hit at will.
Even as the world prepares to mark the ninth anniversary of the tragedy, which coincidentally is also the day Muslims celebrate the end of Ramzan with Eid ul-Fitr, controversies surrounding Ground Zero seem to be making more headlines than ever with each passing year.
The attacks have ignited animosity and anger towards Muslims all over. With reports of a Florida church, Dove World Outreach Center in Gainsville, threatening to burn copies of the Quran on the 9/11 anniversary (later retracted) and that of "Imam Obama" pictures doing the rounds, the scene is definitely hotting up.
Mosque and Islamic Centre at Ground Zero
Mosque and Islamic Centre at Ground Zero
Plans to build an Islamic centre and a mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero has invited the wrath of many an American. Before we go into how much the Americans really want to put off those plans, here is a fact file on the centre and the mosque.
The 13-storey proposed community centre, called Cordoba House, two blocks away from Ground Zero will also have a gym and will include separate prayer spaces for people of other faiths, including Islam, Christianity and Jews.
The developers of the mosque have said that the Islamic centre will have shared spaces for community activities, like a swimming pool, classrooms and a play space for children. The centre will also include a multi-faith memorial dedicated to the nearly 2,800 people killed in the 9/11 attacks.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf: Bin Laden is Made in USA
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the power behind these plans, has said in his latest column in The New York Times that he is going ahead with those plans despite the controversies surrounding it. However, in a CNN Interview on Wednesday night, Imam Rauf regretted locating the Islamic centre close to Ground Zero.
"If I knew that this would happen, cause this kind of pain," he said Wednesday night, "I wouldn't have done it."
Imam Rauf, the Imam of Masjid al-Farah, a New York City mosque, underlined that the purpose of the mosque was to bridge the gap between the Western and Muslim worlds and to "help counter radical ideology."
When news first broke about the proposed Islamic center near ground zero last December, there was no controversy around it. "It was a front-page article in New York Times," Rauf told CNN, "and no one objected. This controversy only began in May, and it began as a result of some politicians who decided to use this for certain political purposes."
"From the political conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians to the building of a community centre in lower Manhattan, Muslims and members of all faiths must work together if we are ever going to succeed in fostering understanding and peace," he wrote in The Times.
"It was striking: a Christian president and a Jewish mayor of New York supporting the rights of Muslims," he wrote, adding "Their statements sent a powerful message about what America stands for, and will be remembered as a milestone in improving American-Muslim relations."
Rauf says the reason he can't move the Islamic center now is because of national security concerns, saying parts of the Muslim world would be violently inflamed at the news of the center's relocation.
"The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack... (there's) the danger of the radicals in the Muslim world to our national security, to the national security of our troops," he said.
"If this is not handled correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis, which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world," Rauf said later. ".... If we don't handle this crisis correctly it could become something which could really become very, very, very dangerous indeed."
Interestingly, the Imam once said that Osama Bin Laden was 'Made in USA'.
In a 60 Minutes interview that aired on September 30, 2001, Rauf said that the 9/11 attacks were part of a larger Islamic "reaction against the U.S. government politically, where we [the U.S.] espouse principles of democracy and human rights, and [yet] where we ally ourselves with oppressive regimes in many of these countries."
"I wouldn't say that the United States deserved what happened," Rauf elaborated, "but United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened." Rauf further stated that "because we [Americans] have been accessory to a lot of innocent lives dying in the world," it could be said that "[i]n fact, in the most direct sense, Osama bin Laden is made in the USA."
America's opposition to the mosque
Nearly, two-thirds of New York City residents believe that both the centre and the mosque should be built as far away as possible from the Ground Zero.
New Yorkers do believe that the Muslims have all the right in the world to build the mosque, but a majority feel that they should find a different site. Even the ones who defend the plan question the wisdom of such a location.
The funny thing is a New York mosque has existed peacefully just four blocks from Ground Zero, long before the terrorist attacks. And Muslims have been praying at a makeshift mosque at the site of the planned cultural centre since last year.
The 9/11 attack has given birth to "a whole cottage industry of Muslim bashers". In a New York Times poll, one-fifth of New Yorkers acknowledged animosity toward Muslims. Thirty-three percent said that compared with other American citizens, Muslims were more sympathetic to terrorists. And nearly 60 percent said people they know had negative feelings toward Muslims because of 9/11, the poll found.
The escalating opposition to the plans is blamed for a growing number of attacks on Muslims and their mosques: Arson is suspected at a mosque building site in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; a Muslim New York City taxi driver was stabbed by a passenger who asked him his religion.
Burn Quran: Florida Church pastor flip-flops
Initially, the Florida church stubbornly refused to back down on the plan to make a bonfire out of 200 copies of the Holy Book of Quran. But, after Defence Secretary Robert Gates personally called him to call off the stunt, he relented.
However, the latest is that the pastor is doing some serious "rethinking" again after being told that there was no deal on moving the proposed Islamic center near New York's ground zero.
The Florida church insists the Quran burning event during the anniversary is "neither an act of love nor of hate", but a warning against what it calls the threats posed by Islam. Interfaith groups of Jews, Christians and Muslims have urged the media to downplay the action. Many prominent personalities reacted to Pastor Jones' stunt.
Clinton called the plans "outrageous" and "aberrational" and said they did not represent America or American values of religious tolerance and inclusiveness. "It is regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida, with a church of no more than 50 people, can make this outrageous and distrustful, disgraceful plan and get the world's attention - but that's the world we live in right now. It is unfortunate; it is not who we are," she said.
General David Petraeus, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, warned that images of the book burning could incite violence and put his troops in danger. The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon said the action was likely to "ignite a fire of rage that could consume swaths of the globe".
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, currently touring flood-hit areas of Pakistan to drum up support for victims, on Wednesday condemned a US church's plan to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Jones is no stranger to controversy. Last year he posted a sign outside his church saying "Islam is of the Devil". His website lists 15 reasons to burn the Qur'an, with number one being that the book teaches that Jesus is not the son of God.
Polls showing American mood
Here is a peek-a-boo at all the polls that have been doing the rounds in US. In a Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll, 71 percent of New Yorkers believed the Islamic centre should be built "somewhere else". A similar majority favoured an investigation into the source of the $100 million being raised by the Cordoba Institute to build the centre.
Another by the prestigious TIME magazine showed that 61 percent oppose the New York mosque plans while 26 percent favour them. At the same time, 55 percent said they would favour a mosque in their own neighbourhood and only 34 percent opposed, Time magazine found.
Mosque Supporters
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Jewish multi-billionaire, former Wall Street financier and creator of Bloomberg Financial News, is the mosque's most outspoken defender, appearing in public and praying with the mosque's imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf.
"This is plain and simple people trying to stir things up to get publicity and trying to polarize people so they can get some votes," said Bloomberg, who believes the vitriol will fade after November elections.
Mosque Opponents
Outspoken mosque opponents include Republicans Sarah Palin of Alaska and Newt Gingrich of Georgia; Rick Lazio, a Republican candidate for New York governor; and other far-afield Republican candidates like some on Long Island.
But even within the more liberal Democratic Party, New York Governor David Paterson has tried to defuse the dispute, offering state-owned sites instead. Sheldon Silver, the powerful speaker of the New York State Assembly, wants the planners to accept the offer because of the "kind of turmoil that's been created".
Pastor Terry Jones told Associated Press that despite pleas for him to back down he was not going to stop. "How much do we back down? How many times do we back down? Maybe it's time to stand up ... and send a message to radical Islam that we will not tolerate their behaviour."
The Pentecostal preacher in Florida has left only a sliver of wriggle room for a change of mind, when he added that he was "considering" Petraeus's concerns about US troops and was praying for God's guidance on the correct action to take.
Stop Islamization of America, a self-appointed watchdog over "Islamic extremism", which is led by Pamela Geller, a rightwing blogger, is to stage a protest on Saturday near Ground Zero against the proposed mosque, which it sees as a "victory mosque" revelling in the "glory" of the terrorist attacks.
The event's organisers boast possible attendance by John Bolton, a former key member of George Bush's cabinet, and Geert Wilders, the Dutch far-right leader who has called for Muslims to be barred from immigration to Europe.
How will the mosque controversy affect US?
Richard Hass, president of New York's Council on Foreign Relations, warns that the mosque dispute is feeding anti-American feelings in Muslim countries and could hurt US diplomatic efforts for peace in the Middle East.
A worried US commander in Afghanistan has criticised a Florida church's plan to burn copies of the Quran warning that the demonstration "could cause significant problems" for American troops overseas. "It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan," Gen. David Petraeus said in a statement issued Monday.
With about 120,000 US and NATO-led troops still battling Al Qaeda and its allies in the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement, Petraeus warned that burning Qurans "is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems - not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community".
Nine years later, Ground Zero still simmers
Id celebrations in the US
With many American Muslims already feeling intense scrutiny over the controversy surrounding a proposed Islamic centre and mosque near New York's ground zero, many mosques and Islamic groups are dramatically altering their usual plans for Eid ul-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, CNN said.
The Islamic Centre of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which made national headlines after the site of its future mosque was vandalised last month, has decided against scheduling any festivities for Saturday.
"It's a sad day for us as Americans and it's a sad day for us a nation and we don't feel it would be right to celebrate on the anniversary of 9/11," Abdou Kattih, vice president of the centre's board of directors, was cited as saying by CNN.
In lieu of celebrations, many mosques are planning open houses next weekend in the hope of strengthening ties to their communities, according to Naeem Baig, vice president for public affairs at the Islamic Circle of North America.
A coalition of influential Muslim groups has announced a national day of service for Sep11, aimed largely at burnishing the image of American Muslims at a sensitive time.
What New Yorkers feel about Obama's stand
Even though President Barack Obama is highly popular in New York City, residents are divided over his handling of the issue (he first defended the centre, then seemed to backtrack slightly), the New York Times said noting 32 percent approve of Obama's approach, while 27 percent disapprove.
However, Obama's support to mosque did not go down well with some of the opponents. Over the last weekend, one opponent displayed a huge caricature of "Imam Obama" dressed in robe and headscarf and holding a Quran - a direct play on growing belief that US President Barack Obama is Muslim because of his name, his Kenyan father's religion and his defence of the right of New Yorkers to build a new mosque.
In fact, the president's religion is still being debated. A stunning 18 percent of Americans still identify Obama as Muslim, according to a Pew poll released earlier this month. Only a third identified Obama as Christian and 43 percent said they didn't know his faith.
Slamming his detractors, Obama said, "The facts are the facts. We went through some of this during the campaign - there is a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly. If I spend all my time chasing after that, then I wouldn't get much done. I can't spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead."
"I will always put my money on the American people, and I'm not going to be worried too much about what rumours are floating around there."
Obama also denied that he was backing away from the mosque project. "I didn't walk it back it all," he said. "I was very specific with my team... The core value and principle that every American is treated the same doesn't change... At (a White House Ramadan celebration), I had Muslim Americans who had been in uniform fighting in Iraq... How can you say to them that their religious faith is less worthy of respect?... That's something that I feel very strongly about."
He added, "I respect the feelings on the other side."
Muslim-born Miss USA opposes Ground Zero mosque
The first Muslim winner of the Miss USA contest is against the Ground Zero mosque, saying "it shouldn't be so close" to the site of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York.
"I totally agree with President Obama with the statement on Constitutional rights of freedom of religion," the 24-year-old Rima Fakih told "Inside Edition" as cited by the New York Post."I also agree that it shouldn't be so close to the World Trade Centre. We should be more concerned with the tragedy than religion."
![Nine years later, Ground Zero still simmers]()
Ground Zero: Place of sacrifice and mourning
Depending on whom you talk to, it's a scar on this city where horror still lingers, a bustling hive symbolizing the resilience of a nation, or simply, for those who live and work nearby, a place where life goes on.
Take a walk around ground zero, and you can get lost in the throngs. Among the tourist crowds at St. Paul's, a block away, a woman sipping a strawberry smoothie walks past an altar covered with photos of the dead.
Outside, beneath cranes that glint red in the sun, construction workers cluster. A woman in a business suit and white sneakers speeds down the sidewalk. Burger King is full, and at Century 21 department store, across from the construction, polo shirts are 85 percent off.
The city's Muslims, many of them, lost a willingness to speak out. They had enjoyed a kind of anonymity -- a knowledge that they were just another ingredient in the hearty stew of New York. But since Sept. 11, they have felt an unwanted spotlight, and some have been afraid.
"Now no one can talk about Islam ... because Islam became like equal to violence," says Noureddine Elberhoumi, a cab driver who says that after Sept. 11 he stopped volunteering information about his religious affiliation. "In their mind, Islam is always going back to Iraq, Afghanistan, 9/11 -- that's it."
For the 9/11 families, the Ground Zero is a burial ground, " a pit of evil and doom". There were battles over the land -- over the prolonged search for victims' remains that kept turning up more tiny body parts in the soil five years later. The developer and insurance companies fought over payouts. The state and the developer haggled over financing and how many towers would be rebuilt
Some families successfully challenged the creation of a freedom museum at the site, and some questioned whether a planned performing arts center there is appropriate. How best to pay respect to the dead? But, is the eternal American way of life coming in the way of treating the hole in the ground as sacred space? That question was answered long ago, says a family member.
"The memorial museum is selling souvenirs, for God's sake," says Diane Horning, who lost her son, Matthew. "You can't stand in ground zero without seeing Century 21's big banners advertising whatever their special is. ... This hasn't been sacred space since the day they put the first rivets in something. It's office buildings, it's places to eat, it's everything but sacred space."
There's even a strip club three blocks from the construction site. At New York Dolls Gentlemen's Club, a woman in a red sequined G-string takes a break from platform dancing and leans over to rub her calves. In the background, Alicia Keys sings on a recording about New York's concrete jungle.
Outside, where William Dean is handing out flyers promoting the dancers, he says he's used to people yelling at him about the unseemly proximity to ground zero. His answer: "We're making a buck like anyone else."
Source: Agencies & India Syndicate
