Film at 9/11 Museum Sets Off Clash Over Reference to Islam

[cbayer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/24/nyregion/interfaith-panel-denounces-a-9-11-museum-exhibits-portrayal-of-islam.html?_r=0


A film at the soon-to-open National September 11 Memorial Museum on the roots of the attacks has been denounced by an advisory group made up of clergy from different faiths.
Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times

By SHARON OTTERMANAPRIL 23, 2014

Past the towering tridents that survived the World Trade Center collapse, adjacent to a gallery with photographs of the 19 hijackers, a brief film at the soon-to-open National September 11 Memorial Museum will seek to explain to visitors the historical roots of the attacks.

The film, “The Rise of Al Qaeda,” refers to the terrorists as Islamists who viewed their mission as a jihad. The NBC News anchor Brian Williams, who narrates the film, speaks over images of terrorist training camps and Qaeda attacks spanning decades. Interspersed are explanations of the ideology of the terrorists, from video clips in foreign-accented English translations.

The documentary is not even seven minutes long, the exhibit just a small part of the museum. But it has over the last few weeks suddenly become a flash point in what has long been one of the most highly charged issues at the museum: how it should talk about Islam and Muslims.

With the museum opening on May 21, it has shown the film to several groups, including an interfaith advisory group of clergy members. Those on the panel overwhelmingly took strong exception to the film, believing some of the terminology in it casts aspersions on all Muslims, and requested changes. But the museum has declined. In March, the sole imam in the group resigned to make clear that he could not endorse its contents.

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[nil desperandum]

1. Majority

The vast majority of catholic priests didn't rape kids either but that scandal cast a shadow over all of them.

The same is true here, muslims did this, not all muslims did it but there were a lot of cheering faces in foreign countries when the news broke that 19 muslims brought down 4 planes and killed a bunch of infidels.

Perhaps if enough muslims are offended by this film they can get together and kill the film makers as they did the dutch cartoonist who dared draw their little magic man in the sky in a manner offensive to the tender sensibilities of muslims. Or maybe they could get together and decry what happened on 9/11 and start weeding out the killers among them as the catholics did with their priests who raped kids. It's a painful process but necessary and like it or not you are stained by the actions of your associates whether they are child molesters or murderers.

I'm offended that religious zealots decided my fellow Americans were sub human enough that murdering them with planes was an acceptable path to take, I'm offended that some religious leaders felt the children in their parish were acceptable sexual partners, I'm offended that some fundamentalists think killing abortion doctors is an acceptable path to take under their religious beliefs.

The museum has the right to show what its board and management believe to be an accurate assessment of the events and those who perpetrated those events. If some will be offended by that depiction perhaps they need not attend.

[cbayer]

2. A lot of muslims suffered repercussions and a backlash that they did not deserve after

this incident.

It behooves the museum and the country at large to be sensitive to that and be careful not to perpetuate the bigotry that was fomented by the acts of terrorists.

And you are definitely perpetuating it by making the ugly suggestion that those that are expressing concern about the film might get together and kill the film makers and by using terms like "little magic man in the sky" and "tender sensibilities".

You certainly should be offended by the things you list, but is fighting hate and intolerance with hate and intolerance really an acceptable approach?

[nil desperandum]

3. Fighting

I tend to believe those who state they will kill me because I don't believe what they believe. I will not love or tolerate those who are behind those statements, and I will work to see that if someone is going to die it's those who threaten me and my countrymen who die before we do.

Muslim jihadists want to rebuild the world, the world they intend to inflict on humanity is one that's unacceptable to me and should be unacceptable to any human who believe people should be free to self determine their own lives. Cultures that support the concepts of jihad or enforced second class citizenship for their women and children deserve no appreciation for their ideals or their notion of what is godly. Those cultures warrant exactly zero consideration of their worth as there is no worth in a culture that makes women and children slaves to their male oppressive ideals.

Bigotry against those who want me dead seems a wise course of action. I won't apologize for that, but I will drop back into the shadows and keep those opinions to myself if they are inappropriate for your forum.

[cbayer]

4. Who has told you they will kill you if you don't believe what they believe?

Are you talking about some extreme terrorists or a larger group?

And what exactly are you doing to see that those that threaten you die first?

I think you come way to close to conflating muslim jihadists with the massive, general muslim population on this earth. Way too close.

It's really important to draw a clear distinction, otherwise it comes across as really ugly stuff. When you start to talk broadly about "cultures", you are painting with a very, very broad brush. And when you say that they "warrant exactly zero consideration of their worth", well that sounds rather extreme, don't you think?

Bigotry is never a wise course of action, imo. Never. A reasoned and thoughtful approach that targets the specific groups or individuals that you find offensive is one thing. Bigotry and intolerance is quite another.

BTW, it's not my forum and I don't decide what is or is not appropriate for it. I may express my opinion, and I certainly will when I read something as inflammatory as your post, but whether you keep this kind of thing to yourself or not is entirely up to you.

And, well, the juries if someone alerts on it.