U.S. Muslims launch ad to fight 'fear-mongering'
August 30, 2010 12:00 p.m. EDT
Plans to build a Muslim community center in Lower Manhattan near ground zero have set off a fierce debate.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A new group releases a commercial in response to the New York controversy
- The spot includes a wide variety of speakers talking about Islam and themselves
- The group behind the commercial officially launches it on Monday
They're all Muslims. And, they emphasize in a new online commercial that begins appearing this week, they're all Americans.
"I don't want to take over this country," the dozen-plus speakers say in the public service announcement. "I don't support terrorism."
The online video is an effort to fight back against "the rising tide of fear-mongering" resulting from plans to build a Muslim community center in lower Manhattan in New York, the group behind it said.
The project, called Park51, has come to be known as the "ground zero mosque," although it is two blocks from the site of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Its supporters say it will include many other facilities in addition to a space for prayer.
The group behind the new commercial, "My Faith My Voice," describes itself as a "grass-roots effort by American Muslims from across the country," and says it has "no affiliation to any one organization or school of thought."
Video: Battle over Islamic center evolves 
Video: Dueling rallies over N.Y. center It officially launched the video Monday.
The group currently has no money to put the ad on television but hopes to raise funds to do so, it said at a news conference Monday. Asked who had funded the project, Hassan Ahmad, an immigration attorney who is part of the group, tapped his pockets and said, "Part of it is coming from my pocket and part of it is coming from donations."
A one-minute version posted on YouTube includes white, black and Asian speakers, young and old, in clothes ranging from hipster casual to Middle Eastern, with police and doctors' uniforms among them. Most of the commercial is in English, but it also includes a woman speaking Spanish.
CNN's Eric Marrapodi contributed to this report.
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So the controversy continues. Let me first start by stating that I have no position on this debate and I do have family that was directly effected by the attacks of 9/11. Second, i want to state that I understand, to some extent, why the controversy around the building of the Mosque on ground zero is so controversial. Millions of people died and til this day America is suffering from the effects of 9/11.I can relate to many Americans who would llike to place blame on a face; however the connections that are being made between Islam and terrorism is not being covered. People are relating the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 with the Islamic Religion. As Americans, we (mostly all) connect the bombing of the twin towers to the Islam faith. For me, this controversy highlights the perspective that plenty of people still have about the Muslim faith. For years now, people have been trying to defend and pronounce that Islam is not the enemy, but when something as simple as building a mosque ( a place of peaceful assembly), the mass media places it at its headlines.
Bennett said that "the media...is to help integrate and homogenize our society" so I cannot help but wounder what people's perpspective would have been without media coverage. Before the recent "exposure" of the Mosque, many people were indifferent about the situation.Although, there is an array of coverage around this debate, the general public tend to be easily swayed so what the media news selects and coverage needs to be cautioned; especially since people tend to accept things at face- value. As soon as the debate arouse in the media spotlight , it has been utter chaos. Like I stated, I understand why people are upset and disapprove with the mosque building, but I just think that its important to remember that America is notorious for being " a land of laws and not men". We do not govern with emotion but with reason.
In conclusion, the media coverage about the mosques has been to an extent sufficiently covered: linking Islam and terrorism serves faulty and can mislead the public, i think this article places some focus on how the "other guys" feel. The media has a variety of information out, it is the people's job to find them. I think this article puts into perspective what the Muslim Americans are feeling; after all they are Americans too.
That is all: Please Let me know what you think. :)
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