Controversy at Ground Zero

Mike and I have been receiving questions this week in preparation for our new series that kicks of this weekend. We’ll be spending the next three weekends talking about the mission of our church and we’ve invited people to share any questions that they might have about what it means to love God, love others and serve the world. Sunday morning, I received a question that I thought I would try to address in this format. The question was something like this.

How should we as Christians respond to the current debate regarding the proposed Mosque at the World Trade Center?

I had to confess at the time that I had not been following closely the developments of this story. Since returning from vacation last week I had done a minimal amount of reading to catch up, and since receiving that question on Sunday, I have continued to do so.

One of the articles that I came across was from Relevant Magazine. Relevant is a great resource which you can find online or via subscription which is geared towards Christians in their 20′s ad 30′s seeking to live out their faith within today’s culture. The article that caught my attention was titled, “Controversy at Ground Zero,” written by Brent Parrish.

You can find the entire article here and I would encourage you to read it. [See below for two other articles I would commend to you.]

There were several things from the article that I found helpful in understanding this debate more clearly.

Brett believes that the lack of factual information being shared by major media outlets is a big component of what is driving this debate.
This key point is part of what I appreciated so much about Brett’s article. I first heard about this proposal from CNN & FOX News when I was running at the treadmill at the gym. Rather than detailing the proposal, both networks were reporting the story in the same way. They had two “talking heads” arguing with each other about whether the plan was a “desecration” of the Ground Zero site. I am personally disappointed to find more and more time spent on these 24 hour news networks dedicated to these types of arguments rather than raising the public’s awareness of the facts regarding current events.

Brett writes, “Very little new information has entered the debate besides the generic rhetoric of protestors and supporters. But would the public opinion be changed if the facts surrounding the “Ground Zero Mosque” were presented more clearly, or even at all?”

I think he is posing an important question.

Here are a few of those facts that Brett shared. [I might add this disclaimer. These are the facts as Brett understands them.]

• The original name of this proposal was the Cordoba project. Brett writes, “The name, Cordoba House, references Cordoba, Spain, where during the 10th and 11th centuries the Muslim Caliphate served as an epicenter of interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence.”
• Rather than simply serving as a mosque, the proposal calls for a full service community center that has been modeled after a similar Jewish community center in Manhattan. Brett compares the project to the facilities you might find at a YMCA.
• The financier and leader of the Cordoba house project is a man named Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf who has also authored the book, What’s Right with Islam is What’s Right with America. He is considered to be a leader in what we might refer to as “moderate” Islam. He has publicly condemned acts of terrorism and the Jihadist movement that has led to attacks like 9/11. Brett adds this, “Imam Rauf is a leading scholar in a branch of Islam known as Sufism, which is particularly controversial among Muslims.This sect of the religion of 1.2 billion people is often described as the mystical side, focusing on the inner orientation to peaceful worship of Allah.”
• Brett argues that rather than this being seen as an “Islamic Invasion” of this area of New York, it is a community center that was designed to provide services for the large population of Muslims who already live in the area. I would point you to the full article to hear the information he shares about the area.

Brett ends the article in this way.

More specifically, what does this debate mean for Christians who are called to serve as salt and light to the world? Though we must not diminish the reality of the threats of radical extremism to this nation, as Christians, we must retain our integrity and faith in God’s providence. The true test of our faith rarely comes in times of peace or tranquility, but rather in moments of adversity. Just as the early church wrestled for their freedom of religion against Roman persecutions, so we face the same struggle today. Faithful Christians must always find ways to express the love Christ called us to, even (and maybe especially) toward our Muslim-American neighbors.

Next week, I’m going to share a series of posts that will hopefully respond to the question, how should Christians respond to the current “hot topics” and other debates like the Ground Zero Mosque? At the end of that series, I’ll share some of my thoughts regarding this proposal.

In the meantime, I hope this article enhances your understanding and that you will share with me any resources/articles which have helped you in your own wrestling with this issue.

Here are a few other articles I’ve found to be helpful.

A Christian’s Response to Ground Zero
This article was written by Sarah Cunningham who recruited 45 friends following the attack on the World Trade Center and traveled from Michigan to help with the disaster relief. She is the author of the book, Picking Dandelions: A Search for Eden Among Life’s Weeds.

Sacrilege at Ground Zero
A Washington Post article written by Charles Krauthammer. Charles basically argues that location matters and while Muslims should be allowed to build a Mosque in New York City that this location is simply too close to what he describes as “hallowed ground.”