In the a nation that seems increasingly divided, US President, Barack Obama has said that Islam is not the enemy, but that Al Qaeda is the enemy. Saturday in the USA saw a number of ceremonies commemorating the 3,000 dead as a result of the attacks on the world trade center on September 11 2001.
Tensions have been running high with protests outside mosques which are only a few blocks from ground zero and a Christian pastor threatening to burn the Koran in public/ It seems that the President has enraged Americans because of his lack of fervor for the fight against what is perceived by many in America as a holy war and he has alienated Muslims around the world with the uncompromising policy stance on the War in Afghanistan. The president said that:
“As Americans we will not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was al-Qaeda,” Obama said, urging Americans not to succumb to “hatred and prejudice”.
At Ground Zero, where for the first time reconstruction work is visibly gathering pace, a youth choir opened the ceremony with the national anthem. Vice President Joseph Biden and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg were among those attending the annual ritual of reading the names of all 2752 people killed when two hijacked airliners destroyed the Twin Towers.
The pastor arrived in New York late on Friday to continue publicising his campaign, while rival street rallies were planned near the controversial mosque project site.
On Saturday, the pastor told NBC television he no longer wanted to desecrate the Muslim holy book, “not today, not ever”.
The president has weighed into the debate on the side of tolerance even further by saying that “we champion the rights of every American, including the right to worship as one chooses”.
“We stand together to rebuff the stereotypes,” Susan Lerner, New York director of the rights group Common Cause, told the crowd. “We reject the idea that any neighbourhood in our great city is off limits to any particular group.”
Anti-mosque demonstrators, led by ultra-conservative groups, predicted a large protest of their own on Saturday.
Some protesters accuse the Islamic centre of aiming to honour the 9/11 terrorists and argue that Muslims should not be allowed a significant presence anywhere near Ground Zero. Others say that the feelings of families of those killed on 9/11 are still too raw to accept the project. The political turmoil around this year’s anniversary has disturbed many who have asked for the day to remain purely commemorative. There have also been some reports of racist reprisals and violence between the groups which has heightened the tension.
