Syrians Call for Memorial for 9/11 Victims

SMN No. 9, September 17, 2010

As the controversy surrounding the establishment of an Islamic centre near Ground Zero in New York continues, a group of Syrians netizens have suggested a way out of the current quandary. Through a Facebook group, they called for a memorial symbolising the solidarity of the Muslim world with the victims of September 11 to take the place of the proposed Islamic centre.

“What hurt you on that day was a shock to all of humanity… We differ in our religious faiths but we are brethrens in humanity,” the group wrote.

The issue of building a centre for Islamic culture near the site where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre were hit by the 9/11 terrorist attack has been dividing America for months. Some consider the project a provocation to the feelings of the American people, while others said that it would strengthen bruised relations between the US and Muslims.

The members of the group, which includes more than 100 participants, consider that building a mosque near Ground Zero was an unnecessary move that would make people even more suspicious of Islam and create more enemies.

Some said that the Islamic centre project has elicited belligerent reactions in the US, notably calls for burning the Koran. One member said that a memorial instead of the mosque would be a more justifiable step promoting “forgiveness”.

The group announced that they were planning to send petitions to prominent figures in the Arab and Muslim world to ask them to endorse the project.