Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf Interview!
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5 surprises from Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf?s CNN interview – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs
Five big surprises from Imam Feisal Abdul Raufs interview with CNNs Soledad OBrien on Wednesday night:
1. Rauf regrets locating the Islamic center near ground zero. If I knew that this would happen, cause this kind of pain, he said Wednesday night, I wouldnt have done it.
2. Rauf says the reason he cant move the Islamic center now is because of national security concerns, saying parts of the Muslim world would be violently inflamed at the news of the centers relocation.
The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack (theres) the danger of the radicals in the Muslim world to our national security, to the national security of our troops, he said.
If we do move, Rauf continued, it will strengthen the argument of the radicals to recruit, their ability to recruit, and their increasing aggression and violence against our country.
"If this is not handled correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis, which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world, Rauf said later. . If we don't handle this crisis correctly it could become something which could really become very, very, very dangerous indeed.
It's a novel argument and was Rauf's central point tonight. Will most Americans buy it?
3. When news first broke about the proposed Islamic center near ground zero last December, there was no controversy around it.
It was a front-page article in New York Times," Rauf told CNN, and no one objected. This controversy only began in May, and it began as a result of some politicians who decided to use this for certain political purposes.
I didn't know that.
4. The New York Islamic Center will include a memorial for those killed in the 9/11 attacks.
The Islamic center had announced this earlier, but I doubt most Americans knew about it.
5. Despite the raging controversy, Rauf sees the current moment as a historic opportunity for Muslims to think about their place in the United States and for the country to think about religious freedom.
Theres a silver lining here, he said. It gives us an opportunity to speak about this subject in a manner that is sober, in a manner that is coherent. To look at what we are all about as Americans, to look at what it means to be Muslim in America. To look at how we are going to put back this genie of clash between the West and the Muslim world back into the bottle.
Five big surprises from Imam Feisal Abdul Raufs interview with CNNs Soledad OBrien on Wednesday night:
1. Rauf regrets locating the Islamic center near ground zero. If I knew that this would happen, cause this kind of pain, he said Wednesday night, I wouldnt have done it.
2. Rauf says the reason he cant move the Islamic center now is because of national security concerns, saying parts of the Muslim world would be violently inflamed at the news of the centers relocation.
The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack (theres) the danger of the radicals in the Muslim world to our national security, to the national security of our troops, he said.
If we do move, Rauf continued, it will strengthen the argument of the radicals to recruit, their ability to recruit, and their increasing aggression and violence against our country.
"If this is not handled correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis, which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world, Rauf said later. . If we don't handle this crisis correctly it could become something which could really become very, very, very dangerous indeed.
It's a novel argument and was Rauf's central point tonight. Will most Americans buy it?
3. When news first broke about the proposed Islamic center near ground zero last December, there was no controversy around it.
It was a front-page article in New York Times," Rauf told CNN, and no one objected. This controversy only began in May, and it began as a result of some politicians who decided to use this for certain political purposes.
I didn't know that.
4. The New York Islamic Center will include a memorial for those killed in the 9/11 attacks.
The Islamic center had announced this earlier, but I doubt most Americans knew about it.
5. Despite the raging controversy, Rauf sees the current moment as a historic opportunity for Muslims to think about their place in the United States and for the country to think about religious freedom.
Theres a silver lining here, he said. It gives us an opportunity to speak about this subject in a manner that is sober, in a manner that is coherent. To look at what we are all about as Americans, to look at what it means to be Muslim in America. To look at how we are going to put back this genie of clash between the West and the Muslim world back into the bottle.
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