Hi, APUSH gang! I hope you've had a restful and (mostly) uneventful summer. A few of you have emailed with questions and concerns, and I WOULD apologize for not getting back to you in a timely fashion, but here's the deal: you need to learn to start answering your OWN questions. Sure, I could tell you what to do, what I want...but I'm much more interested in seeing what y'all come up with on your own, or collaborating together.
Obviously, you have some assignments due in the next week: 1.) Your book review on "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Loewen; 2.) Your discussion questions and precis for the first three chapters of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States;" 3.) the assignments for the first five chapters of Digital History's online textbook, and; 4.) the 11th-12th grade US Constitution assignment. I know, that's a lot.
Something else I want you to take a look at before we convene on August 19th is the following current event: the proposed construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City. You guys are pretty smart (I hear), and this is a tremendous opportunity for you to amaze me with your knowledge of current events, your ability to argue a point, and the strength of your convictions. On this blog, reply with your well-reasoned answer to this question: "Should a group of Muslims be allowed to build a mosque and Isalmic Cultural Center near the site of Ground Zero in New York City? If no, with what authority can the construction be stopped and how? If yes, under what authority should it be allowed?"
Have fun! Play nice...
15 comments:
Most Americans are uncomfortable with the Muslim religion because they correlate Al-Queda with all Muslims and that all Muslims are evil and want to kill Americans. So when people hear there is going to be a Mosque built near Ground Zero people are outraged with the idea and say it's like a slap in the face to Americans.
The idea that the whole Muslim religion is out against America is flagrant media fallacy. The basis of the Islamic faith is peace love and prosperity. It is only a few radicals that believe that America is the blame for the world's unhappiness.
But people simply shift the entire Muslim race. President George W. Bush stated that, " ...they hate our freedoms-our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote..." but this statement is entirely untrue as the main reason why terrorists attacked America was due to our "lazily self-justifying and self-eluding" as stated by Journalist James Fallows. Michael Scheuer, first chief of the CIA's bin Laden unit agreed that, "None of the reasons have anything to do with our freedom liberty and democracy, but have everything to do with our foreign policies and actions in the Muslim world".
But people are mislead by the media and believe that we should not have a mosque built because it would cause victims of the attack more pain. But the main reason why people oppose the construction of the mosque is that due to our stereotype of Muslims.
If you went up to someone and said, "Do you care if they build a church at 45-47 Park Place?" An average person with no knowledge of that street wouldn't care at all and simply say "I have no opinion on that good sir". If you asked the same person, "Do you care if they build a Mosque at 45-47 Park Place?" A person who has the memory of 9/11 etched in their brains and pictures the embodiment of evil in the Islamic faith would say, " I don't know about that sonny boy , but it is a free nation and I'm sure that it wouldn't be a problem. But I would prefer if it wasn't built ".
If you were to ask the same person, "Do you care if they build a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero?" they would be appalled at the question and remark, "Absolutely!, that would be an insult to all the brave men and women who died on that day and would bring more pain to the victims. I can't take any more questions I must be going, good day sir!"
Why? Why do we think this way? Is it the media? Is it because we automatically cast out a culture that is different from our way of life and the events that shift blame to that culture only stirs up more hateful feelings? I think that not allowing a mosque to be built there would be a direct violation against the freedom of religion, stated in the Bill of Rights in our Constitution.
If we ignore the rights we have given to Americans then we should just throw the Constitution away, it means nothing if we don't uphold its values. If this mosque is built tensions will rise between Americans and those who partake in the Islamic faith, but if it is not built then we are turning our backs the on the ideals which have founded this country.
Inscribed on the statue of liberty reads, " Give me your tired, your poor ; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. This will no longer ring true if we continue to stereo type Muslims without thought. If our founding fathers looked upon America today they would see a nation no longer open to those who come here to seek freedom. They would see a nation whose citizens are prisoners to a narrow-minded world filled with bigotry.
So let this mosque be built, let it be known that like a snake we have shed our skin and have rid ourselves of these misconceptions. We are to be open-minded to an ever changing world. We open our arms to new ideas and cultures.
I think that all of the controversy that comes when this subject is brought up is unnecessary and a tad ridiculous. People on one end of the argument say that they are only opposed to the mosque because it is so near to a sacred site, and nothing should be put there. I would feel the same if the mosque was to tower over the remains of the trade center. That IS a sacred place. People fail to realize, however, that the "ground zero mosque" isn't a ground zero mosque at all. It will be two blocks away, in a building that used to be a Burlington Coat Factory. And, regardless of religion, I feel that a prayer center, which can offer hope to people who need it, is a better use of space. Others have a different reason for the construction of the mosque to be refused. Many people today place all Muslims in a stereotypic group that is the equivalent of a group of terrorists. There are tons of American Muslims that are victimized daily because of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. This is much like the after effects of the Pearl Harbor attacks when we blamed Japanese Americans. We have to realize that the people that are hoping to build this place of worship aren't the same people that attacked us that day. In fact, the imam that is paying for the construction has spoken against terrorism numerous times. And, he says that the purpose for the mosque is to bridge the Islamic religion with Judaism, which is the exact opposite of the motives of the 9/11 bombers. I am very much for religious tolerance, and freedom of religion, no matter the religion or location. I believe all citizens should have equal rights. We cant deny these people their right to organize religion where they please! We can't ignore the constitution! I can't say it any clearer than William Pickens did when he said "An insignificant right becomes important when it is assailed."
“We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it’s causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion.”
This quote is taken from a local church pastor from Gainesville who participated in an event called “In memory of the 9/11 victims, church to burn Qurans.” During this event, Christians are each asked to set fire to the sacred book of Islam. This shows the hatred, intolerance, and (to put it bluntly) ignorance many religious groups have in regards to the Islamic faith.
Islam is not so different from Christianity. They believe the Torah, also known as the Old Testament. Christians and Muslims also share knowledge of the prophets, including: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and even Jesus. In fact, the Quran mentions Jesus more than the Christian Bible does. Christianity and Islam even share the same roots: Judaism. So, why is there so much hatred towards them? Why are Christians burning the Quran in public display? Why do people refuse to accept their faith? And why are people so appalled, when an Islamic group wants to build a church near ground zero?
The Religious figures, such as the one quoted in the first paragraph, and government propaganda are responsible for our nations prejudice towards Muslims. People have set a stereotype that “All Muslims are out to get us Americans!” and “Those Islamic people hate all things holy, and they hate Jesus!” Neither of those statements are true.
“O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God's sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All Aware”
This quote came straight from the Quran. Where in this passage does it say:
“You must hate Americans.
Love, your friend Muhammad.”?
Absolutely Nowhere! It even says nations must come together and try to know one another! Racism is incomprehensible to the Islamic faith.
Sadly, however, people still cling to the “Evil Muslim” stereotype. When people hear the word “Muslim” they immediately relate it to “Al-Qaida” or “Terrorist.” After the 9/11 attacks, ordinary citizens were quick to take ‘revenge’ on the terrorists. People harassed American Muslims and attacked Muslim institutions. The problem with that form of ‘revenge’ is that they are not attacking the people who attacked them. They are targeting innocent people, who are in no way related to terrorist attacks (this seems to be a common trend among Americans.) Where is the sympathy for them? Where is the sensitivity to the innocent Muslims that endured such distasteful prejudice? Their sympathy and understanding are buried under a layer of deep hatred and racism. Much of that racism is brought about by political figures, such as George Bush, and war propaganda.
Some people say that it is thoughtless to build the Mosque at ground Zero. That it is “a gross lack of sensitivity to the 9/11 families and to the people who were lost.” Do these people realize that the Mosque is to be built two blocks away from the site? Even closer to the site are tourist loving, money hungry hotels; these hotels, such as the Ground Zero Hotel, are using the 9/11 tragedy as a tourist attraction to make money. A place of prayer, peace, and worship is much more fitting to the site. Even so, building the Mosque will inevitably raise tension. Though, perhaps we need that tension. Sometimes people need to get a little uncomfortable to realize the truth.
People are asking the question: “What will happen if we allow the building at Ground Zero?” I ask the Question: “What will happen if we do NOT allow the building at Ground Zero?” In the bill of rights, there is something called freedom of religion; ever hear of that? That means ANY religion, even the eastern religions that westerners are so hesitant to accept. If we do not allow them to build this Mosque, and deliberately ignore the first amendment, we might as well throw out the rest of the bill of rights.
President Obama made a statement regarding the Mosque, “It's very important, as difficult as some of these issues are, that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are about." By ‘values’ he obviously means the freedom of religion.
The group building the Mosque even claims that they are seeking “reconciliation and moderation.” Does that not sound like a noble attempt? The Center for American Progress claims "Building this facility will strengthen America's fight against al-Qaida," by rejecting fear and encouraging "contemporary Islam."
In my opinion, it all comes down to the question: “Should we blame, punish, and ostracize the average Muslim, with and for the wrongdoings of the extremists?”
You answer this question for yourself.
Good reasoning so far. Eric, my question for you would be about your repeated statement that the idea of the "evil Muslim" is a media creation...but the only people I ever hear this stereotype from are conservative Republicans, the very same people that say that the media is liberally biased. What's the deal with that?
Lynn, what's your full name? I want to make sure you got my email from Wed. night. Also, you mention that the Quran mentions Jesus Christ more often than the Christian Bible...I have never read the Quran; I have read the Bible a few times, especially the Gospels. I am skeptical of your statement. Do you have proof of this? The Old Testament, as well as the New, are full of references to Jesus Christ.
My name is Emily Lynn. I did not get your email from Wednesday, but a friend of mine sent it to me on Friday.
Mr. Fields, i repeated my statement that Evil Muslims are a media creation because i couldn't believe myself how wrong these people are. they jump to conclusions and assume that if one group of people attacks use it is the equivalent of an entire
country attacking use. They then relay this misinformation to the public where people take in this information and develop a seething hatred for an entire ethnic group.
I took the liberty of viewing a documentary called "Uncovered" that told the story of our nation's inability to anticipate terrorist attacks. When Al-Qaeda used suicide bombers to kill Americans he authorized the Assassination of bin-Laden but one of his advisers told him not to as if we were unable to kill him then we would be left with egg on our face after attacking the place where he was said to be.
The media presented stories of car bombings and American casualties in America and abroad and the cause of all these was Al- Qaeda. A poll completed by CNN in 2009 stated that one in 5 Americans has a favorable view of Muslim countries, three in ten are neutral and nearly eight in ten say people in Muslim countries have an unfavorable opinion of Americans.
Americans are split on whether or not negative opinions by Muslims matter but they assume that every Muslim hates Americans. People are becoming every more uneasy with Muslims due to the proposal of a mosque near ground zero. Anti-Muslim protests have gone up all across America and the hate and fear of the Islamic faith continues to grow. A Florida Church is planning a burn the Qur'an day on September 11 and has planted a sign on it's front lawn that says "Islam is the Devil". Opponents of Barrack Obama tried to portray Barrack Obama as a Muslim to stir up hatred among Americans.
People don't get the whole story and never think as to look into the issue more. Instead they are hand fed bias media and are taught not to trust someone from the middle east. A story written by Maahum Chaudry describes the kind of profiling she encountered at San Fransisco where she and her family were patted down and had their bags thoroughly checked. The guards said that they were randomly selected but she doesn't think it's random if it happens every time she goes to an airport.
This story was written in September 2006 after 9/11 and this can be seen in airports everywhere people this that you are guilty of wrongdoing just by looking at you.
The media take a bias view to issues concerning muslims without looking at the facts. More research should be put into stories before they are presented to the public.
P.S. The Book review is required to have 6-7 pages or can it be more or less?
I think that conservative republicans need to open their minds to new policies and be more liberal when it comes to foreign policy. As i stated before the terrorists attacked us because of our foreign policies. If we change our policies maybe extremists would look at us differently.
I agree that the media has a great impact on what people think, especially in this case. Many people just soak up what they are presented during their news hour in the morning, and they don't realize how biased the information is. They are victims of the media, and many of them don't attempt to look into things and do their own research. Then, there are people with opposing views. These liberals are an issue for the media networks. People begin to see that they don't have to follow the crowd, and they can have their own beliefs. Not to worry though, the media can just label these rebels as 'crazy liberal radicals' and suddenly they have the majority in the palm of their hands again. They don't want to share that title, and they don't want to be seen as people who are destroying our valued traditions. Its a sad situation.
In the documentary 'Farenheit 9/11', Michael Moore explains how the news is used to scare people. It talked specifically about Halloween. My parents have always told me how much of a safer place the world was "back in their day". And, now trick-or-treating has even become a risky business for kids. Think of how many times they present tips to check candy ect. on tv before Halloween. According to Moore, this all started when a parent put a razor blade in their child's candy. The news saw that as an opportunity to scare the public a little.
Almost everything you watch on the news is fueled by fear. There are saftey precautions to take before engaging in ANY activity.
With people so morphed by the media it's no wonder people are scared. The media presents this as "Those scary muslims are going to kill us if we let them worship their god!" Sometimes it's up to the crazy radical liberal youth to talk some sense into the more conservative side.
Should a group of Muslims be allowed to build a mosque and Isalmic Cultural Center near the site of Ground Zero in New York City?
I think that the Muslims should be allowed to build a mosque and an Islamic Cultral Center near ground zero because they have every right to do it. It would be going against the constitution if we did not allow the Muslims do this.
Many people do not think that this should be allowed to happen because it is insensitive to the families who died on 9/11. Well i do not think that should matter. Not every muslim way apart of the 9/11 attack and should not be told that they can not do something because of what other people in their country did.
The muslims should be allowed to express their first amendment rights and build their buildings. So to the people who are not happy about it then they can just get over it.
The first thing I'd like to point out is the difference between the word "at" and the word "near". When most Americans read the news, they skim through it unless it's interesting. However if you mix "Muslim" with "Ground Zero" you've already set in a panic. What -some- people fail to realize is it's not AT Ground Zero, it's NEAR Ground Zero. Personally I feel this is one of the reasons people are freaking out so much.
The second point I wanna address is the building itself. The building planned for 45 Park Place is a cultural center with a prayer room - not a single-purpose house of worship for Muslims --- So technically it's not even considered a "mosque". There are no minarets or muezzin calls to prayer. Matt Sledge from the Huffington Post inclines that "The 92nd Street Y, on which the Cordoba House is explicitly modeled, has a whole host of Jewish events that take place inside of it, but no one calls it a synagogue. There's no good reason why the Cordoba House should be misleadingly called a "mosque." I've been guilty of using this word too, in conversation and in writing, but it's inaccurate. Muslims already read the Quran and pray at 45 Park Place, but that does not and will not turn it into a "mosque."
Due to my atheism, I can't give a well structured "Yes" or "No" answer based on religious purposes as to whether they can or can't build this "cultural center" NEAR Ground Zero. However, despite their religion, if they are citizens of the United States, then they are guaranteed all rights of the average white person. People allow their prejudices to cloud their thoughts and blurt out their feelings without stopping to rationalize the situation, or think "What if I was in their position?"
Sadly the problem with most Americans is they are too quick to judge. It's ridiculous to be quite honest:
"Hey you, you're dark skinned and read the Quaran, that makes you a Muslim and you're automatically related to the guy who bombed this dude who killed a journalist because she was spying on Al-Qaeda while he was planning this while our precious towers got destroyed! I hate you."
Silly example, but that's the extent some people go to.
Let them build it. What harm is it going to bring?
Ooh they're gonna kill us all. Yeah. Right. If they wanted to they would have already.
Well, people are not so worried about members of the mosque killing others; they claim that it will hurt 9/11 victims and their families. That it is insensitive to build it so near to the site.
Honestly it WILL hurt 9/11 victims and families (or at least the one's who believe that these Muslims are the same people.)
My point is that we need to "step on a few toes" if you will. We need to make the average conservative American realize their prejudice, by making him/her uncomfortable. Then, maybe then, will the person do his/her OWN research about the Islamic religion, instead of listening soely to what the media has presented us with.
(Sorry for double posting)
I just wanted to point out that if this mosque is built, law enforcement will need to keep a close watch on that building. If Christian extremists are out burning the Quran, I have no doubt in my mind, they will not hesitate to destroy, vandalize, or burn a mosque. I am not linking this only to Christian groups (other extreme branches of religion are against Islam as well.) However, the extreme Christian groups seem to be doing the most violent protests (as Eric said, burning the Qurans.)
This is a very interesting topic. I would like to say first I am a firm follower of Jesus Christ.
One of the rights we have a religious freedom. We are one of the only countries that has this freedom and I don't like to take that for granted. I think people are having such a problem with this issue because they are blaming/involving the whole Muslim community for the acts of a few people of the same religion. Would this be such a big issue if there was a Christian church being built two block away from the ground zero. AND! its not only the mosque according to New York Times it is a 15 story building with an auditorium and pool. The establishment isn't being built on the site, just near it. It is almost racist to make this such a big deal, im my opinion.
I think there isn't any authority that can stop the construction of this building unless is it has to due with the owners of the building and what they are going to allow. I believe the government doesn't have the right to oppose this construction because we have labeled America with the right to religious freedom, the Muslims are simply exercising this right.
How can they oppose this mosque without bringing religion into the subject, it IS about religion!!
Nothing is being hidden, this isn't a private mosque. Anyone can go in and see what is going on.
FYI I haven't read any other the above posts. This is the first thing that came into my mind when reading of the subject :]
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