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Originally posted by SlasherOfVeils
reply to post by SpectreDC
Its how he said it, almost like he was threatening us.
1. Physiological resistance to a poison.
Originally posted by earth2
reply to post by ProjectJimmy
So, did the Imam help the situation by getting on TV and spreading MORE fear?
I say no, he only told us what we already knew.
I agree with the other poster, he should SHUT up.
Originally posted by cindyremains
Originally posted by SlasherOfVeils
reply to post by SpectreDC
Its how he said it, almost like he was threatening us.
You mean with that scary Middle Eastern accent? Or was it something in his eyes? Sorry but that struck me as funny. Is it not possible to interpret "how he said it" more than one way? If I tell my kids not to walk down Forbes street because it is a dangerous street and their mere presence would be taken as provocation and violence would be the outcome, am I threatening them or do you need to hear how I said it?
Originally posted by SpectreDC
Originally posted by SlasherOfVeils
Originally posted by SpectreDC
reply to post by tungus
But I do want to know his reasoning for choosing that location to begin with. ....
because this location was hit by the fusellage from the second plane... it is consecrated ground for them
location is of outmost importance as a symbol of islamic conquor.
edit on 9-9-2010 by SlasherOfVeils because: fixing tags
Sorry, should have specified. I wanted an answer derived from reasoning and logic. Not asinine paranoid bigotry.
O'BRIEN: And the big debate really is over how Muslims have engaged with the American community. You're living that right now.
So let's walk back to the very beginning. When did you settle upon this location, which is just about two blocks north of Ground Zero, for your new Islamic cultural center? Why that particular spot?
RAUF: Well, first, I must remind everybody that I have been imam of a mosque just 10 blocks from that spot, 12 blocks from Ground Zero. I've been serving that community and that neighborhood for the last quarter of a century.
When 9/11 happened, we couldn't reach our mosque in the Tribeca area. You know, and finally we came back. There was flower, letters. We're part of this community. I've served this community. And this is a community that I have worked for so long. And is important for us as Muslims, as Muslims who are in Lower Manhattan, to want to give back to the city and the country that's given us so much.
O'BRIEN: So why that particular spot?
O'BRIEN: Well, what happened was Sharif Gamal, the owner of Soho Properties, a member of my congregation, has noticed how our -- the need for prayer space has expanded. He felt a commitment to do something for his community. And he found this particular building. And he negotiated it, acquired it, and offered it for us to use and to establish a center that would be the space for a vision that I've had for over a decade, or 15, almost 20 years, which is to establish a space which embodies the fundamental beliefs that we have as Jews, Christians, and Muslims, which is to love our god and to love our neighbor, to build a space where we'll have a culture of worship. And at the same time, get to know each other and to forge personal bonds because that's how society, how community, is built, and how we can create something that will snowball to push back against the radical discourse that has just hijacked the discourse in our country and in much of the world.
Originally posted by earth2
reply to post by ProjectJimmy
I agree, he made valid points.
But, when I say he needs to shut up I mean he didn't need to perform the interview. Nothing new was learn..
Why fan the flame?
How did he help the situation? He didn't help, he made it worse obviously..
Originally posted by endtimer
I understand that if a pig were to be buried on that site, the
ground would then be considered unholy to muslims, and they
would then have to build elsewhere. Just saying.....
RAUF: When I found the Cordoba initiative after 9/11 in response to a perennial question was, how can we fix this relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. I found the Cordoba initiative as a multi faith and multinational initiative. Because it became very clear and very apparent that if we were going to do this, we have to have Muslims and non-Muslims in this country and internationally cooperating together, in addressing the fundamental causes that have caused this and are continuously fuelling this.
O'BRIEN: But the controversial itself--
RAUF: So the Cordoba house --
O'BRIEN: --though, right, isn't that causing to some degree an instability and a risk, a risk of safety? I mean, there's an address now that has become the flash point for a lot of anger. Isn't that a risk to Muslims and Americans?
RAUF: There is a certain anger here, no doubt. But if you don't do this right, anger will explode in the Muslim world. 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. And we have a much larger footprint in the Muslim world. If we don't handle this crisis correctly, it could become something which could really become very, very, very dangerous indeed.
O'BRIEN: Do you ask yourself how did you miss that? I mean, it's been your life's mission, and you and I have spoken in the past years, to build bridges and reach out. And yet, given what you know now, would you have built?
RAUF: As I mentioned it, this story is not new. People knew about it.
O'BRIEN: Right, but given what you know now, would you have said, listen, let's not do it there? Because it sounds like you're saying in retrospect wouldn't have done it.
RAUF: Well, yes.
O'BRIEN: You would not have done it?
RAUF: If I knew this would happen, this would cause this kind of pain, I wouldn't have done it. My life has been devoted to peacemaking.
O'BRIEN: There are so many people who say, so if you're saying it was a mistake, then why can't you get out of it and not do it?
RAUF: Because we have to now make sure that whatever we do actually results in greater peace, not in greater conflict.
In the five months after The Times’s initial account there were no newspaper articles on the project at all. It was only in May of this year that the Rupert Murdoch axis of demagoguery revved up, jettisoning Ingraham’s benign take for a New York Post jihad. The paper’s inspiration was a rabidly anti-Islam blogger best known for claiming that Obama was Malcolm X’s illegitimate son. Soon the rest of the Murdoch empire and its political allies piled on, promoting the incendiary libel that the “radical Islamists” behind the “ground zero mosque” were tantamount either to neo-Nazis in Skokie (according to a Wall Street Journal columnist) or actual Nazis (per Newt Gingrich).
Originally posted by tspark
Yup ...just Saying....
they want us to be tolerant of the intolerant...hmmmm
Originally posted by SlasherOfVeils
Its how he said it, almost like he was threatening us.
Originally posted by maybereal11
Originally posted by tspark
Yup ...just Saying....
they want us to be tolerant of the intolerant...hmmmm
YES!!! That is exactly what America is built upon.
That is why we allow the KKK to rally.
Because no one has a monopoly on the truth and all voices have a right to be heard in America.
Do you not think that some people view the Tea Party as "Intolerant"...the Mosque Protestors? The GOP?
We either tolerate all religions and speech or we can sell the statue of liberty for scrap metal IMO.
Once Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion are compromised ...we become an Islamic Republic of a different flavor...how about "Christian Republic"? Ban all other religions, censor news outlets, arrest protestors.
I will stick with the country our founding fathers died to create.
just my 2 cents.
Originally posted by sdcigarpig
reply to post by maybereal11
Now I just do not believe it, or buy what the Imman is stating in the interview, and the question is why can he not be absolutely truthful with what he states and says?
Originally posted by sdcigarpig
Consider this, and use a bit of common sense on the matter: An extremist group, under one banner attacks another group of people. How much of a controversy would it be if the more moderate group wants to come and build something in the name of the ideal behind the attack?
Originally posted by FlyersFan
Originally posted by SlasherOfVeils
Its how he said it, almost like he was threatening us.
ALMOST? Heck ... he definately was threatening America. He's a business man who wants to make his $$$ and he's willing to call in the hoods in order to get business done. He claims the cultural center is for peace ... but then makes threats that if all doesn't go the way he wants it then there will be violence. (kinda sounds like Chicago politics!)
Originally posted by sdcigarpig
reply to post by maybereal11
When 9/11 happened, they did not do it in the name of the Taliban, or Al-quada, they did it in the name of Islam. They used Islam as a means to justify the attacks and the terrorist activities.