Opini-opini di dalamnya cukup berimbang dan rasional. Terima kasih Pak Zul sudah berbagi info ini. Kita cenderung selalu sinis pada apapun yang namanya "Amerika", tapi mestinya cukup rendah hati untuk belajar dari mereka caranya menyikapi perbedaan idelogi/agama/posisi tanpa memakai pengerahan massa dan kekerasan fisik. manneke
--- On Tue, 8/10/10, Zulkifli <zulk_...@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Zulkifli <zulk_...@yahoo.com> Subject: [Forum-Pembaca-KOMPAS] Lagi, Mesjid di Ground Zero To: Forum-Pembaca-Kompas@yahoogroups.com Received: Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 12:02 PM Untuk melengkapi kiriman Bung Manneke, berikut tulisan lain yang patut untuk diketahui (diambil dari situs Irshad Manji). Selamat membaca. Zul __________ A different Islam at Ground Zero? Should a mosque — or, less provocatively, a "Muslim community center" — be built near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks? That proposal, officially named "Cordoba House," as just won approval from New York authorities. But not everyone is applauding. Forget Tea Party leaders; some American Muslims question whether a "Ground Zero mosque" ought to see the light of day. One such skeptic is Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, head of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. He recently wrote a commentary making the following points: "To put it bluntly, Ground Zero is the one place in America where Muslims should think less about teaching Islam and `our good side' and more about being American and fulfilling our responsibilities to confront the ideology of our enemies… Are we Americans who happen to be Muslim or Muslims blindly demanding to be American? American Muslims will be better served if this project is built further away from Ground Zero and focuses on leading a reform effort. If we help build anything at the WTC site itself, it should be timeless memorials to all those who lost their lives on 9/11 — memorials to blind to faith, race, creed, or national origin… We need to focus our efforts more transparently on teaching Muslim youth that the American concepts of liberty and freedom are preferable to sharia and the Islamic state. American Muslims represent the best opportunity to fight Islamist radicalization not because we understand Islam but because we have experienced and understood what American liberty provides to the Muslim experience." The issue cries out for a healthy debate. That's precisely what my Facebook community has produced. As moderator, I've stipulated one rule beyond civility: Don't vote from gut reaction or pure emotion. Instead, I've recommended that my Facebookers read Dr. Jasser's commentary, explain what they agree or disagree with, and only then pronounce their vote on Cordoba House. The results surprised me. Some highlights: * "I agree with [Zuhdi Jasser] that Ground Zero is not the place to build a mosque or Muslim center. If we Muslims truly want to make a contribution, I think the Imam behind this project (who I greatly admire for promoting tolerance and interfaith relations) should build a place aimed at healing for all who are suffering physically, emotionally and spiritually since 9/11. Putting a mosque at Ground Zero is going to feel like salt rubbed in the wounds of too many people who have been forever wounded by what happened there." - Ann Karima * "If there is going to be a center, then it should be dedicated to the reform and de-politicization of Islam. Considering the amount of funding involved, it's probably going to be the opposite. This is evidenced by Imam Rauf's denial that the people who attacked on 9/11 were even Muslim. They were … [But] the rest of the world could learn from one thing from this center: that mosques can and probably should transcend being simply religious spaces and become community ones - although it won't be a useful lesson if it's a Muslim-only space." - Mehdi * "I shared this article with my FB friends and here is what I posted as my comment: `Just as [Zuhdi Jasser], a Muslim, speaks out against political Islam, so as a Christian I will speak out against the religious right who want America to be an officially Christian nation. Jasser states: `We need to focus our efforts more transparently on teaching Muslim youth that the American concepts of liberty and freedom are preferable to sharia and the Islamic state.' I believe that only in a truly secular democracy will we have the actual liberty to practice our faiths or none at all." - Jan * "Well, if the guys who are creating the center/mosque bought the building itself, then they should be able to build whatever they like. Given America's love of property rights, that would be a truly `American' approach. But first and foremost, the memorial should serve trade. That would send a clear message: `You don't like our way of life? Screw you. We don't accept violence as an argument.' The site is located in the financial district, after all." - Michal * "If it were up to me, there would be no sectarian buildings around Ground Zero. But we also have the rule of law and the Constitution. If government intervened to stop or refuse construction, what would it be saying about the American values of liberty and freedom of religion? Is it legitimate for the state to compel certain values and outcomes? Can we force people to be sensitive souls? To be caring Americans? That is my dilemma." - Rafael * "The hubris, bad manners and God knows what else that lies behind the presumption that a massive mosque can be built just blocks away from Ground Zero is staggering… The irony is that if the mosque gets built, it won't be typically Islamic but tragically American in what it says about our unwillingness to see things are they are." - Bob * "I think it's ok to build the center. If it were only a mosque, I would feel less certain. A center would presumably be open to all. It's the American way, the American dream - freedom of religion, freedom of expression. What place is better suited to promote reflection and dialogue about Islam and others faiths than Ground Zero? To try and expunge references to Islam is fundamentally un-American. I have a real problem with the on-going conflation terrorism with Islam, which informs Zuhdi Jasser's article. I refuse to believe that Islam motivates violence. If it does, then as with the terrorists in Northern Ireland, it ceases to be about faith." - David * "I am neither for nor against that building. But what I care about are the reactions of the people who oppose the mosque. It is really strange. You are accusing Islam of attacking the World Trade Center. That is just not true. The attackers were blinded criminals. If tomorrow a Christian attacks a school and kills children, saying that his Christian belief led him to this because the school is teaching Darwinism, would you oppose any church near the school? You should, following the logic of opposing a mosque near Ground Zero." - Raik * "While there are Christian and other fanatics who would kill for their faith, the difference between them and the Muslim community is that the popular sanctioning doesn't seem so widespread. There are no crowds applauding those crazies in Michigan who planned to kill police officers. And Christians are not looking to build a right-wing evangelical pro-Tim McVey church at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing. In fact, most Christians are downright embarrassed about the misuse of their religion, as in the recent abuse scandal of the Catholic Church. It was in the Pope's homeland of southern Germany that people complained about the Vatican's inaction, and American Catholics sharing their feelings, audibly. Even Ireland, a devout Catholic country, saw protests and calls for justice. Until the Muslim community admits it has a problem, or should I say a number of problems, and begins to act responsibly toward fellow citizens, will people begin to act responsibly toward us. It should not be the USA that leads a war against radical Islam. It should be Muslims in the vanguard of that struggle, taking back our faith from those who would dare to hijack it." - Ismail The debate continues. Feel free to participate by joining me on Facebook. And let it never be overlooked that there's one reason we can have such honest conversations. It's called secularism. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
