16/08/2010 By Ruqayyah Shamseddine
August 15, 2010
The Cordoba House, or what many are calling the “Ground Zero Mosque”, happens to be a community center which is to be built in New York City; There is a mainstream media firestorm growing in respect to the community center, which will be constructed in place of a 152 year old warehouse, due primarily to its location and vastly to what many are calling the “Muslim initiative” behind the center.
A slew of vehement politically right-wing pseudo-intellectuals are attempting to associate the community center with the mark of the beast; Dan Senor, former foreign policy advisor to George W. Bush, has blatantly attached the Cordoba House with “Islamic extremism” and Al Qaeda.
Similarly ironic and senseless narratives have been hitting the airwaves for weeks and many are latching onto the fallacious bandwagon in order to promote American exceptionalism; all while donning American flags and nationalistic rhetoric of course.
The catch-phrase of the anti-Cordoba House movement happens to be that with this community center comes Shariah law, that Muslims will be building the “Ground Zero Mosque” in place of a heinous tragedy in order to solidify their “conquest”.
There are some points to go over when debunking these highly erroneous claims:
● The Cordoba House is a community center with a prayer room open for people of all faiths.
● There were at least 60 Muslim victims of the 9-11 attacks; not counting Muslim members of the NYPD first responders.
● Shariah law could never be implemented or imposed on any US Citizen, and anyone remotely informed in respect to the US Constitution would find any such claim laughable to say the least.
WHY SHARIAH LAW WILL NEVER COME TO AMERICA
US Constitution, Amendment 1 – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” Yes, this would include any religion: Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism et al.
To counter further brazenly asinine remarks Steve Benen, columnist in The Washington Monthly, wrote:
"For folks like Gingrich, Cheney, Giuliani, et al, Feisal Abdul Rauf is exactly the kind of American ally who should be embraced. Instead, the right is going to genuinely ridiculous lengths to isolate, offend, and ostracize him, signaling their belief that all Muslim Americans should be treated as second-class citizens. If Osama bin Laden were to write a script for what he'd like to see happen here, it'd be identical to the one Gingrich & Co. are following. This isn't intended to question their patriotism, but rather, their sanity."
Contrary to what the American right-wing has been parroting, the Cordoba House will provide locals with culture and art, recreation, educational programs, and a “world-class facility which will house a mosque” - the mosque will be independently run but open to all New Yorkers, regardless of their faith.
According to it’s website: The “Cordoba House will be a center for interfaith dialogue and engagement”
The most dominant parties involved in the Cordoba House debate are implying that an actual mosque will be erected on top of ground zero or immediately adjacent to it - this is obviously not the case.
“JESUS HATES MUSLIMS”
A plethora of right-wing Christians, carrying a variety of self-made signs and placards while yelling “Islam is a lie,” have been angrily confronting worshippers outside US Mosques.
In early August Muslims were verbally assaulted by a slew of right-wing Christians who began to shout “Jesus hates Muslims,” as the worshippers began arriving at the Masjid An-Noor Mosque in Connecticut in order to prepare for the holy week of Ramadan. According to the Connecticut Post one protester shoved a placard at a group of young children leaving the mosque while crying out “murderers”.
On July 5th, a Christian group known for religious intolerance protested an Islamic Center in Gainesville, Florida. The protesting group, ironically named Dove World Outreach Center, has allied in the past with the Westboro Baptist Church; The Westboro Baptist Church is notorious for praising hate-crimes against homosexuals, Jews, Muslims and a laundry list of others who refuse to associate themselves with their bigotry and antagonism.
In May, a Jacksonville, Florida mosque was attacked with a pipe bomb and gasoline.
Crimes similar to the ones listed above have been supported and held in high regard by the American right-wing; seeing that Islamophobia is on the rise, things may get much worse for many American Muslims.
THE XENOPHOBIC MENTALITY BEHIND THE ATTACKS
Xenophobia is nothing new and America is no stranger to any such sentiment. Emboldened by the 9-11 attacks we now see that many are trying to justify blatant discrimination, ethnic profiling and disdain towards the US Constitution under the broad and fairly vague guise of “national security”. From torturing US citizens in Guantanamo Bay Prison Camps to refusing ‘freedom of religion’ and ‘freedom of worship’- all in the name of nationalistic “national security”.
For America to outgrow this blatantly stigmatizing form of subjugation the US Government must learn to abide by UN Declarations, many of which have been pseudo-supported by a long curtain of American Presidents and politicians. The American regime must learn that no flag is big enough to shield them from their own sins. The stain of apathy and chauvinism has bled through the fabric - through every star and stripe - for the entire world to witness.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
No comments:
Post a Comment