Everyone & their brother is writing or talking about the Ground Zero Mosque. It shouldn't be built on the 9/11 site. It is an insult to the dead Americans. How could one propose such a thing. I agree with those sentiments. Instead of further discussion of the site we should be discussing the who & why of the project. That will give us more insight into the where.
In this case the where & why are intertwined. So why the ground zero site, really. In short, dominance. Dominance or victory over the infidel. That'd be us. Throughout history Muslims have built mosques over the sacred places of their conquered foes to show the enemy the superiority of Islam. St Sophia's Basilica in Istanbul, Turkey (then Constantinople) was converted to a mosque by the Ottoman Empire. The Al Aqsa mosque was built on top of the temple mount in Jerusalem. Then there's the Cordoba House. Ring a bell? That's what they wish to call the ground zero mosque. The first Cordoba house originated around 785 AD (date are iffy). The Muslims of North Africa conquered much of Spain. They desecrated a Christian church & replaced it with the world's third largest mosque until the Spanish recaptured it around 1236 AD. It was great fun then as it still is now being a non-muslim under the Cordoba Caliphate. You can accept a second-class citizenship & pay the tax accordingly. You may convert to Islam, or you may die. Sounds just like America. I knew we had a lot in common.
Well, you say. That's all ancient history. The reason it hasn't happened in modern times is that Muslim controlled nations have been too inept to conquer anyone with an army.
Now, what about the who? The who would be the Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf. Who is this guy? The great peacemaker who just wants to bridge the gap between Islam & everyone else? I rather doubt it. He has been asked and refuses to classify Hamas, Hezbollah & the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorists. Heck, even our government has done that. He also claimed that we are at least partly to blame for 9/11 & that we created Bin Laden. What a guy. He is a big wheel in the Perdana Global Peace Organization. Ah, peace. Sounds nice. Perdana was the largest donor of the Free Gaza movement. Free them from what? They're already controlled by Hamas. And don't say from Hamas. The patsies & the rogue countries would rather them then under the control of Israel.. Always remember, you can't side with Israel (on anything) & still be enlightened. Anyway, They sponsored the recent flotilla. Recall the little spat between them & the Israelis. That was a total setup from the start. It was always to force Israel into a public relations fight Israel couldn't win. That's a very abbreviated background of Rauf. There's much more, but maybe another time. In my opinion, this is not a good guy. Oh, by the way, Rauf wrote a book in 2004. It had 2 names. One titled in English & the other in Arabic. The English version was Titled, " What's right with America is what's right with Islam." That sounds nice. The Arabic version was titled, " The call from the WTC (World Trade Center) Rubble: Islamic Da'wah from the heart of America post- 9/11." Da'wah in conjunction with Islam means "Inviting to the way of submission and surrender to Allah, or sharing the message of Islam."
We've covered the who, & why. What about the how? That's simple.
Political Correctness. Although most Americans are decent right thinking people, it seems most of our political leaders are chumps. They'll bend over backwards to please a small portion of our society, leaving the rest of us hung out to dry. See, that was easy.
Now for a little wrinkle. (I can't help myself). Rauf has an Obama connection. Can't be, you say! (I can already here the wailing). Well, that connection has a name. Eboo Patel. He is one of Obama's religious advisors. In short, Patel is more than just a passing acquaintance. He has been to Rauf's home where they discussed the renewal of Islam in America as he recounts is his own 2007 book.
Last but not least, a theory. Bait & Switch. Here's how it goes. The Imam insists the building site be at ground zero. There's the expected uproar against it. Some people (useful idiots) defend the proposal. Most oppose it. The typical back & forth ensues. Someone suggests an alternative site. That's rejected. After more outrage from the general public some other politician says we'll even give you the property & maybe even finance the building if you'll just consider relocating. Finally Rauf comes out as says, "For the good of America & the Muslims we have agreed to relocate. Everyone cheers him & they get the thing built. No one thereafter pays any mind to what will go on there or cares. Crisis averted!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brent_O._Smith
The World Trade Center was attacked once in 1993 when the government of the United States had won its indirect war against Russia and decided to leave a communist government there rather than a government ruled by Islamic Jihadists who had expelled Russia in the first place. The attacks were blamed on the Mujahideen and with that the affiliation of America with them ended to the world. On the ninth of September, four planes were hijacked and headed for specific targets on American soil. Two of them hitting the world trade centre, one crashing into the Pentagon and one crash landed in Shanksville.
Everyone was shocked after seeing the video clips. It was all blamed on Al-Qaeeda and they took responsibility. It was supposed to be simple and we all got emotional. A war on terror was declared and two countries were attacked by us. But as people cooled down, different theories came into being; showing that it all was not as straightforward as it looked. The number of facts or theories that the conspiracy theorists present just cannot be neglected.
BBC's report on September 18th that the former foreign ministry secretary was told by senior American officials in mid June that the US was planning to attack Afghanistan in October that year and NORAD (America's air defence department) not being able to shoot down the planes are facts that lead some conspiracy theorists to think that the government had foreknowledge of the attacks, yet they went silent to give them an excuse to launch an assault on Afghanistan and control a very strategic location in the region close to it's arch enemies. Other theories are related to how the WTC towers fell is also very interesting. As many constructional engineers regard the way the building collapse to be impossible to achieve by crashing planes into it. A chemical professor of an American university claims that hints of small micro chip bombs were found in the dust caused by the collapse of the buildings. The crash into the Pentagon building is also disputed as theorists claim that it is impossible for such a huge commercial plane to leave so little an impact in the building, in fact they say that a missile was used to do the damage. BBC also released the identities of the hijackers before any formal announcement by the CIA was made, which also lead to the doubts of the government already being in the knowledge about them. Osama bin Laden has only admitted responsibility in one tape till this day that tape too is challenged because of doubts about its authenticity.
Many different theories exist but the answer may or may not be one of the following: Al Qaeda, The American Government, or the most probable of all that the Government knew about it but never reacted and let it happen.
rticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_L_Knouse
New York has much to offer a visitor so much so that sometimes it is hard to take it all in at one go. Ideally tourists should select a few attractions for the day and take it all in from the history to the modern day.
For instance we have all heard about the Empire State Building as being one of New York's premier landmarks. Completed in 1931 the building had the distinction of being the tallest building in the work till the World Trade Centre (WTC) construction in 1972. It was once again the tallest building in New York City with the devastating destruction of the WTC in 2001.
Tourists flock to the Empire State Building, especially the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors, a journey which about a quarter of a mile above 5th Avenue. The observatories offer breathtaking views of the rooftops and the roadways and byways of the New York Metropolitan and sometimes as far away as the neighboring states. However, be prepared for exceedingly long lines to get in to the observation decks and sometimes if the traffic is too high you will find the decks closed.
Another unending appeal of the building is that it has appeared in hundreds of movies and adverts, such as the unforgettable Kind Kong, where the famous image of the giant ape climbing the building swatting away at the attacking planes. Other notable movies include An Affair to Remember and the Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks move Sleepless in Seattle.
Despite this, the Empire State Building is all about hope and the rebuilding of a nation and now is one of the city's most busy buildings. It is currently undergoing renovation work to make it more a more energy efficient building. By staying at a hotel such as the Mave Hotel New York you can find yourself close by to such iconic structures as the Empire State Building. So visit New York and the Empire State Building and be amazed by its structure.
102 storied building suffered damage when a US bomber crashed into the 79th floor killing 14 people in 1945. Despite this crash the building was open once again for business the following Monday. It is considered by most that it is a modern day world wonder, as it was built during the Depression and is considered a 'testament to American fortitude and ingenuity'. The building became the profitable icon that it is now in the 1950s when it was bought over by Roger L Stevens.
The Empire State Building has a macabre history to it as well for some reason more than around 30 people have committed suicide from the top of the building. The very first suicide happened even before the completion of the building when a laid off worker took his own life. The "Most Beautiful Suicide' is perhaps the most well known suicide where a 23 year old girl Evelyn Mc Hale humped off the observation deck on the 86th floor. She landed on a United Nations limousine parked at the curb and her body was intact without any outward appearance of trauma. A passing student took a picture of the corpse which was later painted by Andy Warhol.
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