The “Ground Zero Mosque” is neither at ground zero nor is it a mosque. The proposed plans are for an Islamic cultural center, Cordoba House, not a mosque. According to the official website of Cordoba House (www.cordobainitiative.org), the building will include an area for prayer on one of its 15 floors, but it is not strictly a mosque. Plans also include a basketball court, swimming pool, and banquet hall, and a number of community based programs and activities will take place that will be open to everyone. It is also not at Ground Zero; it is two blocks away. When the media refers to Cordoba House as the “Ground Zero Mosque” it gives the idea of a huge mosque right on top of where the Twin Towers stood, when in fact the Ground Zero site is actually fenced off.
Many Americans were outraged when the plans for a “Ground Zero Mosque” were revealed. Lots of people called it insensitive because they saw it as a representation of the Islamic religion and the al-Qaeda members who committed the 9/11 attacks and claimed that they were done in the name of Islam.
However, this issue is also relevant in Norwalk. Plans for a mosque are currently being revised, after a group of Norwalk citizens protested against the use of a house as a mosque.
With this issue popping all over, it makes me wonder how much of the controversy surrounding the “Ground Zero Mosque” is driven by an informed opinion, rather than fear and ignorance.
If one person does something in the name of their religion, it does not mean that everyone in that religion would agree with it. For example, the Ku Klux Klan was a group of white Christians in America who committed hate crimes against minority groups. However, it would not be fair to call all white Christians of that time period terrorists. People like Viola Liuzzo, a white women who dedicated her life to the African-American Civil Rights Movement also identified as a Christian during that time. We must realize that Muslims were also negatively affected by the terrorists attacks, as the United States is home to about 8 million Muslims. It is not fair to hold a religion of 1.5 billion people responsible for the actions of 19 individuals, who represent an extremist minority group.
Tatyana Hopkins('12)
