RI Reacts: Should There Be a Mosque at Ground Zero?

RI Reacts: Should There Be a Mosque at Ground Zero?

 

 

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A plan to build a mosque at Ground Zero is affecting local Muslims who say the controversy has increased harassment and intolerance toward their beliefs.

Eva Sasa, a devout Muslim who wears the veil, says she can always tell when a controversy is brewing in the media by how she is treated in public. “When these types of things happen in the media, there we go again. The harassment begins,” she said. “It just puts us under a microscope again. It just opens the door to harassment and hate.”

Many Americans say they oppose the construction of a mosque out of respect for those who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks. But one local Muslim said they should remember that non-Muslim American weren’t the only ones killed there.  “Muslims (were) killed there, but the blame is always on Muslims,” said Saidi Okanlawon. “It’s going to be religious discrimination.”

Sasa said many Americans may have misunderstood the motive for building a mosque at the site of the September 11 attacks. “Islamically, you’re bringing a positive force and a positive energy to a place that has a negative association,” she said. “It’s not seen as desecrating anything.”

Sasa, who is a member of the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement, warned that blocking the construction of the mosque could send the wrong message to the rest of the world. “It’s dangerous to say no while we’re trying to manage our alliances and we’re trying to maintain our faith as a democratic, free country.”

Other Rhode Islanders Torn Over Issue

The issue has sparked a debate among other non-Muslim Rhode Islanders. Many who spoke with GoLocalProv were torn between tolerance for Muslims and the need to respect the memories of those Americans killed on September 11.

“I feel it’s symbolically in poor taste but I feel it’s the rights of religious freedom,” said Scott Ricci, of Cumberland.

“I have mixed feelings,” said a Providence woman who would only give her first name, Jackie. “I would like it to be a peaceful gesture—that to me would be ultimate. Unfortunately there are a lot of provocative overtones to the situation and I don’t know if that’s fueled by the media or the people involved.”

But for some the issue was clear cut.

For Elizabeth Kinney, a college student from Massachusetts, it came down to property rights. “I don’t see a problem with that,” Kinney said. “It’s private property. It’s unconstitutional to prohibit someone from building a religious center on private property.”

“I don’t agree with that. I think it should be a site just for the Americans. So many Americans died in that place,” said Junior Perez, a Providence resident who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republican.

RI Candidates Split Over Mosque at Ground Zero

At a debate hosted yesterday by 630 WPRO, a GoLocalProv media partner, both Republican candidates for governor came out unequivocally against the mosque. “Is it the right thing to do? Absolutely not. It is a slap in the face of every American,” said Victor Moffitt.

John Robitaille agreed, describing it as “very insensitive.” He also criticized President Obama over the issue, saying he should not have gotten involved in the controversy.

Other candidates were less critical.  

Democratic candidate for Congress Anthony Gemma acknowledged that the Muslim community may have the right to build a mosque at Ground Zero. “However, because it’s such an emotionally charged issue, I think more work needs to be done to help them find an alternative—to put the mosque somewhere else,” Gemma said.

Ken Block, the Moderate Party candidate for governor, for one, did not oppose a mosque at that location.

“I understand the discomfort many feel with this issue. The tragedy of 9/11 is something that we all carry with us. But sometimes, we have to be bigger than our first reaction. There is no doubt that this group has a legal right to build their mosque on the property in question,” Block said. 

“If it were a church or a synagogue--or any other house of worship--we simply wouldn't be having this discussion. It's shameful that politicians are using this issue to curry favor with voters. We should be better than that. We should expect more from our elected officials and from each other,” Block added.