Clash of cultures in New York

The debate over the proposed construction of the Islamic centre near Ground Zero shows an intolerant side of America.

New York is known for its cultural richness and its diverse communities. Recently, however, the city has come to prominence for something quite different.

The debate over the proposed construction of an Islamic centre near Ground Zero has brought to the surface an intolerant side of America not expected from a country that prides itself on the values of free speech and religious freedom. The fear and bigotry surrounding this debate is more reminiscent of the intolerant attitudes towards religious minorities we have recently witnessed in Pakistan.

The debate has been framed in such a way by the media that it leaves little doubt that the strength of this argument rests not in rational thought but rather in its ability to elicit an emotional response in the public. The title “Ground Zero mosque” is designed to mislead. The project is a cultural centre that is to feature a basketball court, a swimming pool and a library along with a prayer room at roughly a two minute walk from Ground Zero.

The war on terror has infected the psyche of people and the fear of the ‘other’ is manifesting itself in terrible ways. Newt Gingrich, a prominent member of the Republican Party, did not mince words when he said: “Nazis don’t have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington... There’s no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Centre.”

To imply that the Muslim community has any similarity to the Nazi party is incredulous and shocking, highlighting how the media has portrayed Muslims as a group of crazy people intent on waging jihad against the west the way Hitler wanted to exterminate the Jews. One can only imagine how painful such an allusion has been to Muslims across the world, particularly to those who call America home. However, some reasonable voices do exist. The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, has shown unyielding support for the project. But the events of 9/11 and the building of this cultural centre are woven together as one in the American psyche of fear.

On August 24, New York cab driver Ahmed Sharif picked up 21-year-old Michael Enright. Enright asked the cab driver: Are you Muslim? When Sharif said yes, Enright slashed at his throat and face with a knife. Sharif managed to escape and later said that he had been driving a taxi more than 15 years and had never felt “this hopeless and insecure before”.  On August 27 a drunken man barged into a mosque in Queens and urinated on prayer rugs.

I hope these were isolated incidents but they raise concerns about the emerging fracture between two cultures. I hope America will find its true voice as a nation based on freedom of expression and tolerance where all cultures can strike a peaceful balance.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2010.