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REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS
Ground zero mosque opened to public Wednesday
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 8:05 AM
NIKI2
Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...
Quote:An Islamic cultural center near the site of the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center held its first exhibit Wednesday evening without incident. As a small orchestra played traditional Middle Eastern instruments, people crowded into the center, where a photo exhibit of New York children of different ethnicities lined the walls. Sharif El-Gamal, the center's developer, said the biggest error on the project was not involving the families of 9/11 victims from the start. "We made incredible mistakes," El-Gamal told The Associated Press in an earlier interview at his Manhattan office. The building at 51 Park Place, two blocks from the World Trade Center site, includes a Muslim prayer space that has been open for two years. El-Gamal said the overall center is modeled after the Jewish Community Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where he lives. "I wanted my daughter to learn how to swim, so I took her to the JCC," said the Brooklyn-born Muslim. "And when I walked in, I said, 'Wow. This is great.'" The project has drawn criticism from opponents who say they don't want a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The center is open to all faiths and will include a 9/11 memorial, El-Gamal said. He called opposition to the center — which prompted one of the most virulent national discussions about Islam and freedom of speech and religion since Sept. 11 — part of a "campaign against Muslims." Last year, street clashes in view of the trade center site pitted supporters against opponents of the center. When the center was first envisioned several years ago, activist Daisy Khan and her husband, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, played a major, vocal role. But they soon left the project because of differences with the developer. El-Gamal confirmed Wednesday that they parted ways because "we had a different vision." He declined to elaborate. The couple said they had discussed plans for Park51, as the center is known, with relatives of 9/11 victims, first responders and others, including the possibility that it could become a multifaith center focusing on religious conflict. But El-Gamal wishes victims' families had been involved earlier — before the center became a point of contention. "The biggest mistake we made was not to include 9/11 families," El-Gamal said, noting that the center's advisory board now includes at least one 9/11 family member. At first, "we didn't understand that we had a responsibility to discuss our private project with family members that lost loved ones," he said, and they did not "really connect" with community leaders and activists. But today, "we're very committed to having them involved in our project. ... We're really listening," he said. Pointing to the inclusivity of a center that critics feared would be polarizing, El-Gamal noted that the featured photographer in the "NYChildren" exhibit is Danny Goldfield, who is Jewish. The Brooklyn photographer was inspired to create the exhibit by the story of Rana Sodhi, a Sikh who emigrated from India and settled in Arizona. His brother Balbir was killed in a retaliatory hate crime four days after Sept. 11. Sodhi made the trip to New York for the opening and wore a tie decorated with heart-shaped American flags. He still runs the gas station where his brother was killed. "My heart is so warm when I hear Danny is doing this exhibition in Park51," Sodhi said. Goldfield said he has photographed children with roots in 169 countries since 2004. He hopes to find subjects representing 24 other countries to complete the project. Some of the photographs had been exhibited elsewhere, but the opening marked the first time all were shown together. He said there was a synergy between the themes and spirit of his project and those of the center, particularly with regard to community participation and openness. "They want to build a center for everyone that's represented on the walls here," he said. Recalling the controversy over the center, he said he didn't want to pass judgment on its opponents. But he said he'd like them to see the show "more than anyone." Afsana Khundkar, a native of Afghanistan whose 12-year-old son, Waseem, was one of the children photographed for the exhibit, said her family was honored to participate in the project. "It's promoting good things in the world," she said. "The most important thing is to involve the children in the good things." The space had been cleared out and the walls painted a stark white for the exhibit. The renovations were funded with $70,000 raised on the website Kickstarter. The modest first-floor space is intended to function as a temporary center until groundbreaking on an entirely new building. El-Gamal told the AP that fundraising is under way to complete a 15-story building that will also include an auditorium, educational programs, a pool, a restaurant and culinary school, child care services, a sports facility, a wellness center and artist studios. The mosque is especially needed in lower Manhattan, he said, because thousands of Muslims either work or live in the neighborhood, "and in our religion, we must pray five times a day." At the opening, an ebullient El-Gamal told reporters the project had been framed by others throughout the debate over its existence. "Today, for the first time, everyone gets a little bit of a glimpse into the future of what Park51 is going to offer New York," he said. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0922/Ground-zero-mosque-opened-to-public-Wednesday
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 9:44 AM
M52NICKERSON
DALEK!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 11:14 AM
GEEZER
Keep the Shiny side up
Quote:Originally posted by Niki2: Everybody ready for the furor, the death threats, the controversy that will no doubt now rage (over something virtually everyone's forgotten about for how long) now that the news is out?
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 11:39 AM
AURAPTOR
America loves a winner!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 12:04 PM
STORYMARK
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Rage and mindless hate are what Muslim radicals do best.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 12:08 PM
Quote:Originally posted by Storymark: Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Rage and mindless hate are what Muslim radicals do best. Says the douche who hates the most. Though, I guess he is the local expert on mindless hate.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013 6:06 PM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 12:17 AM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 2:39 AM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Rage and mindless hate are what Muslim radicals do best. NYC voted for this abomination, so let them deal w/ it. Pathetic. Islam is spiking the football on the graves of 3000 Americans.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 3:21 AM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 3:29 AM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 3:41 AM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 5:16 AM
BYTEMITE
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 6:22 AM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: They're @ war with us, and are spiking the ball , whether we admit it or not.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 7:46 AM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 9:48 AM
Quote:Originally posted by m52nickerson: Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: They're @ war with us, and are spiking the ball , whether we admit it or not. The folks who built that center are not a war with us you moron. I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 12:28 PM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 3:11 PM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 3:46 PM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Quote:Originally posted by m52nickerson: Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: They're @ war with us, and are spiking the ball , whether we admit it or not. The folks who built that center are not a war with us you moron. I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man. Yeah, they are. And while they likely didn't clap their hands with joy and toss candy into the air for the happy children on 9/11, they'll gladly take the opportunity to put a trophy mosque @ the site of the biggest Islamic victory vs the West since the fall of Constantinople. Make no mistake. Islam seeks to bring the entire world under its dominion and bind us all. Some are going about it in a violent, more direct method, while others are content to take things a bit slower. The end result, however, is the same. Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen Resident USA Freedom Fundie " AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 4:27 PM
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 5:15 PM
1KIKI
Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Quote:Originally posted by m52nickerson: Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: They're @ war with us, and are spiking the ball , whether we admit it or not. The folks who built that center are not a war with us you moron. I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man. Yeah, they are. And while they likely didn't clap their hands with joy and toss candy into the air for the happy children on 9/11, they'll gladly take the opportunity to put a trophy mosque @ the site of the biggest Islamic victory vs the West since the fall of Constantinople. Make no mistake. Islam seeks to bring the entire world under its dominion and bind us all. Some are going about it in a violent, more direct method, while others are content to take things a bit slower. The end result, however, is the same.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 8:39 PM
KWICKO
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)
Quote:Originally posted by 1kiki: Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Make no mistake. Islam seeks to bring the entire world under its dominion and bind us all. Some are going about it in a violent, more direct method, while others are content to take things a bit slower. The end result, however, is the same. On par with calling women who want birth control covered by their medical insurance 'whores'.
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Make no mistake. Islam seeks to bring the entire world under its dominion and bind us all. Some are going about it in a violent, more direct method, while others are content to take things a bit slower. The end result, however, is the same.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 1:17 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Kwicko: Rappy's BS makes just as much sense if you remove the word "Islam" and replace it with the words "The tea party". Just noting that.
Quote: And if they're "spiking the ball" by building a community center, then good for them. It's not their fault that your stupid hero Dubya was fool enough to go chasing after ghosts and squandering trillions of dollars doing it. You dipshits on the right got suckered, and you were too stupid to realize it, and Muslims probably should do some celebrating for handing you your ass so decisively. Man, it must really burn to have to be reminded of what a fuck-up you are, and what fuck-ups those you support are. That's really gotta sting. You got it stuffed in your face by a bunch of Muslims; how's that taste?
Thursday, August 8, 2013 5:37 AM
Thursday, August 8, 2013 5:52 AM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Quote:Originally posted by Kwicko: Rappy's BS makes just as much sense if you remove the word "Islam" and replace it with the words "The tea party" Just noting that. Yeah? And if you put wings on pigs, they could fly. OR, perhaps,if you put a brain in Kwickie, he'd be able to think ? Naw. Quote: And if they're "spiking the ball" by building a community center, then good for them. It's not their fault that your stupid hero Dubya was fool enough to go chasing after ghosts and squandering trillions of dollars doing it. You dipshits on the right got suckered, and you were too stupid to realize it, and Muslims probably should do some celebrating for handing you your ass so decisively. Man, it must really burn to have to be reminded of what a fuck-up you are, and what fuck-ups those you support are. That's really gotta sting. You got it stuffed in your face by a bunch of Muslims; how's that taste?
Quote:Originally posted by Kwicko: Rappy's BS makes just as much sense if you remove the word "Islam" and replace it with the words "The tea party" Just noting that.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 6:01 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Niki2: Nope, while I don't agree with it, it doesn't hold a CANDLE to your xenophobic, hate-filled, deranged obsession with Muslims, especially since you JUST DENIED hating all Muslims. Damn, I've got to find that thread...tho' you've probably edited it to delete your lying statement by now. Mike, you're my go-to man for searches, can YOU find it?
Thursday, August 8, 2013 6:19 AM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Quote:Originally posted by Niki2: Nope, while I don't agree with it, it doesn't hold a CANDLE to your xenophobic, hate-filled, deranged obsession with Muslims, especially since you JUST DENIED hating all Muslims. Damn, I've got to find that thread...tho' you've probably edited it to delete your lying statement by now. Mike, you're my go-to man for searches, can YOU find it? Never did I say, imply , state that I hated " ALL " Muslims . Check your readings skills, niki.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 6:40 AM
Thursday, August 8, 2013 7:28 AM
Quote:Make no mistake. Islam seeks to bring the entire world under its dominion and bind us all. Some are going about it in a violent, more direct method, while others are content to take things a bit slower. The end result, however, is the same.
Quote:Never did I say, imply , state that I hated " ALL " Muslims.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 8:47 AM
Quote:Conservative radio host Mike Huckabee condemned alleged Muslim violence following Ramadan as the actions of “uncorked animals” on his radio show recently: "So the Muslims will go to the mosque, and they will have their day of prayer, and they come out of there like uncorked animals, throwing rocks and burning cars…" http://www.mediaite.com/online/huckabee-goes-off-on-islams-murderous-mayhem-muslims-exit-mosques-like-uncorked-animals/
Thursday, August 8, 2013 9:18 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Niki2: Well, there you go. He's made himself quite clear in this very thread quite nicely. Quote:Make no mistake. Islam seeks to bring the entire world under its dominion and bind us all. Some are going about it in a violent, more direct method, while others are content to take things a bit slower. The end result, however, is the same. Quote:Never did I say, imply , state that I hated " ALL " Muslims. So not ALL Muslims are part of Islam, is that what he's trying to say? If so, he failed miserably. His hateful, obsessive xenophobia is clear for all to see, and still he denies it.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 11:43 AM
Thursday, August 8, 2013 12:40 PM
Thursday, August 8, 2013 12:47 PM
Quote: You *have* said you hate radical Muslims. You have also said all of Islam wants to murder the US, making them all radicals. How do you not get the simple, basic logical progression there.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 1:05 PM
Thursday, August 8, 2013 1:12 PM
Quote:Originally posted by Niki2: >Gawd, he's really amazing. He can't even read HIS OWN WORDS!
Thursday, August 8, 2013 1:26 PM
Thursday, August 8, 2013 2:11 PM
Thursday, August 8, 2013 2:33 PM
Quote:Originally posted by Storymark: You do realize that one can express an emotion through behavior, and the other words they use, even if they avoid the specific word "hate," right? Of course you don't.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 2:56 PM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: Quote:Originally posted by Storymark: You do realize that one can express an emotion through behavior, and the other words they use, even if they avoid the specific word "hate," right? Of course you don't. So, no. Nothing to back up that false claim, what so ever. Got it. Thanks for playing.
Thursday, August 8, 2013 3:01 PM
Friday, August 9, 2013 1:50 AM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: So tell us Storybook, where will you be getting YOUR prayer rugs ? Target ? ( get it ? See what I did there ? ) Bedouin , Bath and Beyond ? Share!
Friday, August 9, 2013 3:31 AM
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