The US is becoming an unsavoury place for Muslims. Now Muslims are forced to cancel public celebrations in fear for their safety, are subject to direct threats from elected officials and representatives, and have to endure constant insults from all directions in what has become a free-for-all 'curse the Muslim' fest.
My family feared for my safety when I first went to the US years ago: "they hate us there", said my mother. (yes, like Americans have their travel warnings about the Middle East, so do we about America..)
Her fears were unfounded; few event of Muslim-hating violence were recorded. But now, her warning seems prophetic. It seems that half the population does hate us there.
Today however we're witnessing a post 9/11 redux - the levels of Anti-Muslim public hatred are
unprecedented. And it's embarrassing to say that GW Bush did a better job calming things down and stressing that Islam and Muslims were peaceful than Barack Obama who, as usual, stands there watching. He was even prompt to de-facto retract the lukewarm speech he gave over the White House-hosted iftar last week.It feels we're two inches away from anti-Muslim pogroms. They're already organizing public bonfires of Qurans. I fear the day will come when a KKK-like group will organize a burning at the stake of a Muslim family. I truly do.
The latest spark that's inflaming the right-wing Americans' inner-racist? The "Ground Zero Mosque".
You'd think it's a plan to build a Mosque where the World Trade Center stood.
It isn't.
(Though, if it were, it wouldn't be a crime either.)
But
It's NOT at Ground Zero.
And it's NOT a Mosque.
See the map below to see where the Cordoba House will actually stand - I'm fairly sure it's not even visible if you stand in Ground Zero:
View Larger Map
As for the second part - that it's not a Mosque - the Cordoba House is actually a cultural centre, will will host lecture halls, a ballroom/conference rooms, a swimming pool (yep!), and a prayer room - a mosque, yes. A large part of their work has to do with community outreach and interfaith dialogue.
The have a goddamn website. Check it before going on about what it is or is not.
How this has not been hammered in the media is a crying shame. If anything, it points out at the incredible bias of US mainstream media; but it also proves that, once again, Muslim organizations prove incapable of mounting a decent PR campaign in the face of the many, many Muslim-haters out there.
Addendum - an excellent read: The New Anti-Semitism, in Tablet Magazine.
9 comments:
It's a shame really, especially they had to change its name, no longer Cordoba house, but Park 51 and it won't even look Islamic. It's a building.
However, about american media, some shows called Muslims Nazis. And what's with always referring to "The muslims" as if we're an organized mob or something.
However there has been some positive media coverage as well, such special comment by keith olbermann which hammered out all the inconsistencies and myths of the situation.
It shows the fear generated by American Media and the fact that most Americans are incapable of thinking for themselves. Statistics show that the percentage of people thinking the Obama is a muslim increased after his speech. The thing is freedom is what they rub in everyone's faces concerning America and now they won't let muslims establish a social and cultural center because it's about 5 blocks away from Ground Zero. Where's the freedom now?
Nice post :)
I - finally - watched the Olbermann comment and it is, honestly, a breath of fresh air.
I've laughed reading stuff like that - where the sentence begins with "Islam" and continues with "They". They?
(See the next post... :)
You said it first, he does (just in Spanish, sorry), criticising the media coverage:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mundo/blog_de_los_editores/2010/08/ni_es_mezquita_ni_esta_en_la_z.html
Un abrazo.
R
Hey R,
So good to read you!
Indeed, excellent piece. It's quite rare to see such honest soul-searching and self criticism from a journalist (or from anyone, for that matter..)
Thanks for the link. :)
m
Actually, it is.
I knew you'd like it.
Bisous.
R
A lot of the hatred toward Cordoba House/Park 51 is coming from right-wingers, especially members of the Christian Right. Muslims are their designated scapegoats right now, and I'm concerned about what ramifications this could have for Muslims in America.
Fortunately, the bigots do not speak for all Americans, as there are Americans calling for interfaith dialogue and respect.
Thanks, Ahab.
I find mind-boggling that it doesn't come across as completely self-evident to some people!
I'm truly scared for American Muslims. When people start to get stabbed in the street because of their faith, then we know it's a nasty downhill road.
Thanks for the message, Ahab. People like you are what's needed the most right now, to speak up against the extremist right-wingers..
I've got my computer back, although it's on life-support. Tuned in here. Two things:
1. it is NOT at Ground Zero as your map shows and having been to Ground Zero myself, I can assure you that you can't see the mosque location from there (you can see lots of inappropirately giggling Japanese tourists snapping each other's pictures at Ground Zero, however...clueless);
2. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the US. As more people have positive experiences with Moslems in their schools, neighborhoods and parks, more Americans will hammer on the fearful and the bigots (often the same people--overlapping Venn diagrams anyway)to shut up. Is there fear and loathing on the Right? Sure--but every time some wacko Moslem leader leads a chorus of traditionalists in chants of "Death to America" and similar expressions, and it gets broadcast on all the American news channels, then any progress made in mutual understanding and respect is set back. Radicalism on either side is a huge boost for hate and deterrent to understanding.
Hi Sarah!
I did go to Ground zero, though that was years ago. Actually, it was on September 11th 2005. A very emotional moment indeed.
See there will always be someone to scream death to America. Because someone will always see they have grief with America.
But let's put blame where it belongs. When someone in the US decides to stab a Muslim cab driver, it's not the fault of the guy screaming in a rally in Bangladesh, but rather of the newscaster who tells him that American Muslims are a fifth column of sorts.
Good luck with the computer on life support!
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