Disingenuous? Do Tell!

No, the blocks surrounding where the former World Trade Center towers stood are not hallowed ground, but the memory of what stood there, who perished there in their innocent unawareness of a deadly enemy slinking under the radar and successfully launching a terror attack beyond imagination is spectacularly hallowed. Never to be forgotten, nor forgiven.

As an American citizen, one who so passionately subscribes to the American ideal and the American dream, how is it possible that this reality eludes Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf? It does, nonetheless. Now, who is being disingenuous about the horrible reality of catastrophe launched by 'militant' Islam?

Who is it within the American community of assimilated and respected pluralist groups that sneers at American values of honouring one's dead? In this instance, those who died as a symbol of American power and prestige, become unwilling martyrs to the cause of America the Great whom Islamist jihadists were so eager to bring down, to bring the country to its knees in mourning.

In that they did succeed; Americans were stunned, disbelieving, overwrought with unassailable grief, and brought to their knees in desperate anguish over the nihilistic dread actions of killers who valued death, not life.

Who distinguished themselves by their eager willingness to bring death upon themselves in the belief they would be enfolded in love and gratitude by the God they worshipped, who would praise them and reward them for rendering unto him those unaware victims of incendiary hatred in the name of Islam.

Imam Rauf declares his opinion that radical extremists had "hijacked" the heated topic of relations between the West and Islam. Those whom he labels radical extremists speak of what they observe, and that is the reality of Islamists waging violent war on the West. These 'radical extremists' whom he claims to have 'hijacked' the debate, merely discuss issues.

It was the "radical extremists" of Islamic jihad hijacking jet planes as missiles slaughtering thousands that express the reality of the vicious debating style of Islamists.

But in his great wisdom Imam Rauf feels that tension can readily be defused by the simple medium of a "media blackout" with respect to suicide bombers. See no evil, hear no evil, report no evil. And take additional measures to threaten with the full thrust of a new law to be put in place to ensure that Islam is never conflated with terrorism; a law against Islamophobia.

If such a concept as making it internationally illegal to equate terror with Islam could be recommended by the Arab/Muslim bloc at the UN, why not within U.S. jurisprudence?

For see just how vile the news media are in reporting on the incidents of suicide attacks all over the world, claiming innocent lives in the name of Islam. Without the reportage, these unfortunate incidents would remain unknown and no bad feelings toward Islam would result.

And then there would be no threats by 'radical' Westerners intent on symbolizing their defiance of violent jihad addressed toward the West, by burning Korans. That unspeakable act of desecration, after all, is responsible for an expression of anger at the humiliation of Islam, resulting in Muslims running amok in violence. With Muslims demonstrating in Kashmir, and Muslim protesters fire bombing Christian missionary schools and government buildings, after hearing of the sacred Koran torching.

It remains nothing less than intolerable that non-Muslims see fit to behave in such a manner as to denigrate Islam and desecrate its sacred writings. They are responsible for the killings and injuries in Afghanistan after 10,000 Muslims protested. But the Koran-burners will get their due attention, after Iranian clerics deservedly in the name of all that is holy within Islam issued fatwas for their deaths.

And one cannot, after all, blame Muslims for their agitations against the West, given the socio-economic problems, religious sectarian strife, and the way the media shape the discourse over Islam's relationship to 99% of the world's terrorists presenting as Muslim. And look at the crucible of the problem, the intractable Israelis refusing to settle peacefully with Palestinian/Arab demands for quite precise parameters for peace.

Imam Rauf's wish to install a huge community centre/mosque complex with the (aptly-named) Cordoba Initiative speaks only of goodwill, and a desire to "create a space where the voice of moderates can be amplified". Well, the moderate voice has most certainly been amplified, and it would appear that two-thirds of Americans are aroused over the fact that the bellicose whisper underlying the affirmation of good faith and fellowship is not to their liking.

Having perhaps learned through the skulking media eager to report all the useless rabble-rousing dross they can unearth that the American Society for Muslim Advancement, the very organization backing Imam Rauf's Cordoba Initiative, is suspect in the opinion of most thinking Americans for their overt conspiracy theories that 9/11 was an "inside job".

"The prime factor for the success of the criminal mission known as 9/11 did not come from the quarter known as 'militant Islam', although the phenomenon known as 'militant Islamic networks' may have played a partial role, or even a less-than-partial role - perhaps the role of patsy and scapegoat" Faiz Khan

Dr. Khan, we learn, through the dastardly proclivity of the media to print unspeakable garbage, was a co-founder with Imam Rauf of the American Sufi Muslim Association, the predecessor organization to the American Society for Muslim Advancement.

Advancement? At what expense?