The God Vote: Imam Feisal Rauf

Category: Americas, Faith & Spirituality, Life & Society Topics: Allah Views: 3746
3746

With the world's attention currently fixed on the upheaval in the Middle East, it is easy to forget that only last summer, the most significant debate over Islamic politics and practice was in fact raging within the United States. In question was the fate of a vacant building in Lower Manhattan. Only several blocks away from the former World Trade Center, this building was the proposed site of Park51, a Muslim community center.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, this week's guest on The God Vote with Sally Quinn and Jacques Berlinerblau was at the center of the controversy surrounding Park51. Imam Rauf was the chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, an organization dedicated to "improving understanding and building trust among people of all cultures and faith traditions." The Park51 community center was a cornerstone of this project. It was intended - like a Muslim version of a YMCA or a Jewish Community Center - as a place where people of faith could gather together for socializing, entertainment, and worship.

Yet the proximity of the proposed center to Ground Zero struck a raw nerve in the American political conscience. Prominent figures including Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin denounced the project as the "Ground Zero Mosque". Right-wing pundits accused Imam Rauf of seeking to construct a "victory mosque" to "commemorate a great [Islamic] victory over the United States on 9/11." And even many moderate critics argued that the project was distasteful, given its location. After facing such sustained criticism, Rauf admitted in his Sept. 8 interview with Larry King:

Lost in the debate over the "Ground Zero Mosque" was the fact that Imam Rauf had become an indispensable voice for moderate American Muslims, sent by both Presidents Bush and Obama to be an American ambassador to Muslim nations.

Although he is no longer the chief religious figure behind the Park51 project, he continues to use his platform to advance his belief that Islam and the West are reconcilable.

Source: The Washington Post - Sam Dinger


  Category: Americas, Faith & Spirituality, Life & Society
  Topics: Allah
Views: 3746

Related Suggestions

 
COMMENTS DISCLAIMER & RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
The opinions expressed herein, through this post or comments, contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of IslamiCity. These are offered as a means for IslamiCity to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of being an educational organization. The IslamiCity site may occasionally contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. IslamiCity is making such material available in its effort to advance understanding of humanitarian, education, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and such (and all) material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.