The Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue recently held a panel discussion on the proposed Park51 community center in Lower Manhattan, often known as the “Ground Zero Mosque, using this video as a basis for it. Please voice your views — whether in agreement or disagreement with the panelists.
Response by Hafsa Kanjwal: It is imperative that we understand the backlash against the Ground Zero Mosque (now renamed Park 51 in hopes to alleviate some of the criticism) in the context of Islamophobia. It is nothing less than that, and even amidst hearing critics say that they find the building of this mosque “offensive”–there is an underlying sentiment that indeed, Islam is offensive. The way this issue has been politicized is not shocking, but it is disappointing. Read more here.
Response by C. Nikole Saulsberry: There are always two sides of a story; that is a journalistic given. But more often than not, media outlets today hyper-polarize the opposing sides of every religion story to further instigate the detrimental idea that faith is exclusive and inherently combative. And we can see this here, in the seemingly unbiased CBS News video. Read more here.
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