Friday, September 24, 2010

Mounting Opposition To New York Islamic Center

Claiming the neighborhood where the Twin Towers once stood is sacred ground, radical conservative groups are spearheading opposition to the construction of a nearby Muslim community center, a facility that would include a swimming pool and a 9/11 memorial and be located more than two blocks from the attack site. Here are some other projects currently facing controversy:

New York — New Citibank ATM vestibule just two blocks from site of devastating financial collapse
Elizabeth, NJ — Bed, Bath, and Beyond on sacred IKEA grounds
Pearl Harbor, HI — P.F. Chang's location a reasonable cab ride away from the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial
Philadelphia — British consulate on hard-won U.S. soil
Terre Haute, IN — Frito-Lay display planned for Baesler's Market is an affront to the fact that Terre Haute was the original U.S. test market for Pringles
Culver City, CA — Comedy club built next to the site where that disaster Grown Ups was filmed
Provincetown, MA — Organic artisan cheese stand set up next to raw cashew cheese booth at farmer's market
Lakehurst, NJ — Balloon store only three miles from site of Hindenburg crash
Olathe, KS — Barnes & Noble

From the Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/mounting-opposition-to-new-york-islamic-center,17956/

3 comments:

Angel said...

Haha.

I just finished reading a book that has made me rethink the mosque thing...well, reading it and then seeing this guy's various interviews on youtube. Very interesting perspective. It's called "Son of Hamas." Have you heard of it?

David said...

I have not heard of it. So what do mean by rethink?

Angel said...

It's hard to explain without reading the book. Basically it's this guy who grew up in Palestine as the son of one of the founders of Hamas. He's in his early 30s now, I think, and became a Christian while in Palestine. He spent a lot of time in Israeli prisons. So anyway, he wrote a book about all of that and published it a couple of months ago. And now he is a strong opponent of the mosque being built and other things that even a lot of Americans are pretty liberal about. I appreciate his perspective a lot more because he is coming from inside of Islam. Not like this conservative Tea Party member yelling about something he's never really experienced.

But people also critique him on the internet and say he is doing it because conservatives are brainwashing him or paying him or whatever. Which is I suppose a possibility, but still, his book is pretty amazing and seems honest and convincing. You should check it out when you can and see what you think. Might be able to get a cheap e-version online.