“THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER NEAR GROUND ZERO - NewsWithViews.com” plus 2 more |
- THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER NEAR GROUND ZERO - NewsWithViews.com
- Cultural Markers May Dot Salinas - msnbc.com
- Minister James Moore Announces Funding for Victoria's Cultural and Aboriginal ... - Market Wire
| THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER NEAR GROUND ZERO - NewsWithViews.com Posted: 25 Aug 2010 10:17 PM PDT THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER NEAR GROUND ZERO
By Attorney Jonathan Emord Controversy surrounds plans to build an Islamic cultural center with a prayer room at 45 Park Place (the site of the former Burlington Coat Factory) just two blocks from the World Trade Center site. This event, like many others in our history (perhaps most notably when Nazis march in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods or Ku Klux Klan members parade about in minority neighborhoods) call upon Americans to determine, fundamentally, whether they believe in the First Amendment rights of those who hold religious and political views contrary to their own. It would indeed be ironic, a singular triumph for the totalitarians who oppose our Constitution of liberty, whether al-Qaeda, Taliban, or petty tyrants the world over, to see us provoked by dissenting views to abandon our respect for and defense of individual liberty (for the freedom of speech and religion) actuated by the same basic prejudice that motivates them. Obfuscation of facts is a tool used by those whose bias overwhelms prudent judgment. The cultural center and prayer room planned for 45 Park Place is not a mosque or house of worship for Muslims. The Center's Imam, however, is a person who has made bizarre, inflammatory statements concerning alleged United States complicity in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Imam Faisel Rauf told 60 Minutes just weeks after the September 11 attacks: "I wouldn't say that the United States deserved what happened but United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened." Odious as Imam Rauf's views may be to the majority of Americans, he is fully protected in his right to state them. Were we to present views critical of state dogma in Taliban controlled Afghanistan or in other countries where free speech is forbidden, we might well be incarcerated (or worse). Yet he, having the great privilege of living in a land that defends freedom of speech and press, may speak as he pleases on matters of politics and religion (and for that, whether he admits it or not, he owes a debt of gratitude to this great land).
The terrorist acts that occurred on September 11 were an assault on the very values of freedom on which our country is based. They were spawn by petty men whose hatred for free people and detestation of religious pluralism is antithetical to our most basic concepts of liberty, those ensconced in our institutions of freedom—our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our Declaration of Independence. Those petty men are dogmatic adherents of a theocratic dictatorship of their own creation, opposed not only by free people in the West but also by theocracies in power within their own region of the world. They are brutes, not unlike other petty criminals, not unlike the Mafia and not unlike the kingpins who rule international drug cartels. They are puffed up in the creative imaginations of some who would associate them with far more power and ability to effectuate their ends than they actually possess. They are a threat to Americans lives and property but a threat we can, and eventually will, destroy. Their ideas, however, shorn of the violence, are protected speech under our great Constitution of liberty. We must not make the terrible mistake of presuming American citizens who are of the Islamic faith or who hold views contrary to our own are undeserving of the full protection of our First Amendment. We were founded on the opposite premise. Early in the American Republic, Thomas Jefferson and the Jeffersonian Republicans faced the mighty horror that stems from governmental intolerance of dissent. Censored by the odious Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 that forbad Americans from criticizing President John Adams, the Federalist Congress, or even federal law (a revival of seditious libel despite a First Amendment intended to end that restraint on speech), the Jeffersonian Republicans succeeded in defeating their Federalist opponents in the Presidential election of 1801 and in restoring protection for freedom of speech. In their victory, the Republicans did not retaliate against the Federalists by silencing those who would silence them—the very danger of political control over speech. Rather, in the eloquent words of Thomas Jefferson in his first Inaugural Address, the rights of the minority are to be defended in America and errors of opinion are to be proved through open discussion:
In short, far from proving weakness, we prove our greatness, our faith in freedom, by defending the legal right of Imam Rauf to have his Park51 (formerly known as the Cardoba House) Islamic Cultural Center two blocks from ground zero. We prove that in the United States those whose religious and political views dissent from the majority are protected, so long as they do not violate the equal rights of others. Peaceful study of Islamic texts, of the Quran and of the teachings of Imam Rauf and others is the right of those who wish to so partake and is a fitting tribute to the freedom of those who bravely gave their lives for this country on September 11, 2001, before and since.
We should rededicate ourselves to the basic principles of freedom of speech and religion. We must defend the rights of those in the minority to dissent equally with those in the majority to support the orthodox view. While we may take legal action against those who plan the destruction of human life and property even when those who act profess they are doing so in the name of religion, we must respect the right of people to dissent in peaceful ways from religious faiths and political views held by the majority. Let Imam Rauf have his Islamic Cultural Center, let him hold views antithetical to the majority of Americans in ways that would not be possible were the theocracy he so admires established here, let that hypocrisy be the source of free criticism of him, and let him thereby stand as a tribute to freedom of religion and speech. © 2010 Jonathan W. Emord - All Rights Reserved Jonathan W. Emord is an attorney who practices constitutional and administrative law before the federal courts and agencies. Congressman Ron Paul calls Jonathan "a hero of the health freedom revolution" and says "all freedom-loving Americans are in [his] debt . . . for his courtroom [victories] on behalf of health freedom." He has defeated the FDA in federal court a remarkable seven times, six on First Amendment grounds, and is the author of Amazon bestsellers The Rise of Tyranny, and Global Censorship of Health Information. For more info visit Emord.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php | |
| Cultural Markers May Dot Salinas - msnbc.com Posted: 25 Aug 2010 10:43 AM PDT SALINAS, Calif. — KSBW.com More art and cultural markers could be popping up all over Salinas if city leaders have their way. Literary markers and sculptures would be across the city of Salinas, if approved Tuesday night by the City Council, and would be free to the city. They're the last two projects funded by a two-year grant. National Steinbeck Center Executive Director Colleen Bailey said people come from all over the world on a regular basis to see where John Steinbeck was born and raised and where he wrote about. Now, those places could be mapped out. The historic and literary sites that run through the entire city of Salinas. There are 12 sculptures made of giant pieces of granite with engraved quotes from John Steinbeck's works. Jan Neal, with Salinas Public libraries, said the sculptures will be 5 feet tall and will have John Steinbeck's words on them in English and Spanish. Neal said if people go to the park there might be stones for kids have to go around to read quotes around rocks. The sculptures would be placed at all three Salinas libraries, the National Steinbeck Center and five parks including Central, Natividad Creek, Closter, Sherwood Parks and the soccer field complex. Literary markers would dot Salinas and a walking tour is in the works available to visitors around town and on the Internet. Visitors spreading out to all parts of the city could mean a boost for local business. Deanna Carvey, with Oldtown Salinas Association, said having more comprehensive offering get people to all areas of the city and more you have to offer the more they're staying and the longer they stay the longer they take advantage of services. Library staff has identified 78 sites across the city that are worthy of a marker to identify its literary significance or historical significance. They will start with 12 and those will be funded by the grant money, while they will try to get funding for the rest of the markers. Salinas' deputy librarian said local vendors and materials are being used every step of the way in this process. The granite for the sculptures comes from a quarry in Aromas. The markers will be made by artists from Moss Landing. Most Popular Stories at KSBW This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php | |
| Minister James Moore Announces Funding for Victoria's Cultural and Aboriginal ... - Market Wire Posted: 27 Aug 2010 10:26 AM PDT VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 27, 2010) - The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today announced funding for 17 arts, culture, heritage, and Aboriginal projects in Victoria. Minister Moore made the announcement at the Royal British Columbia Museum in the presence of community representatives. The funding is intended to support a wide range of projects, including the Canadian College of Performing Arts, the Intrepid Theatre Company Society, the Société Francophone de Victoria, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and many others. "Victoria's dynamic cultural scene is a major contributor to this city's excellent quality of life," said Minister Moore. "Our Government is proud to invest in these projects, which encourage Victoria's creative spirit so that residents and visitors can enjoy a variety of exciting artistic and cultural experiences." "This essential support from the Government of Canada allows the Canadian College of Performing Arts to provide excellence in arts training," said Ron Schuster, College Director. "Our graduates have a proven record of outstanding levels of employment contributing to creating dynamic communities throughout Canada." The Government of Canada has provided funding totalling $1,614,632 under nine programs of the Department of Canadian Heritage: the Aboriginal Women's Program element of the Aboriginal People's Program, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program, the Canada Cultural Investment Fund (Endowment Incentives component), the Canada Arts Training Fund, the Museums Assistance Program, the Vitrual Museum of Canada component of the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and the Cooperation with the Community Sector component and Cultural Development Fund of the Development of Official-Language Communities Program. For more information about the projects, see the attached backgrounder. This news release is available on the Internet at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca under Newsroom. BACKGROUNDER The following are the projects that are part of this announcement for the cultural sector in the Victoria area: Aboriginal Women's Program element of the Aboriginal People's Program The purpose of the Aboriginal Women's Program is to assist independent Aboriginal women's groups and organizations to carry out activities that support the full participation of Aboriginal women within their communities and Canadian society and assist them in reclaiming and using their unique Aboriginal identity and cultures.
Canada Arts Presentation Fund The Canada Arts Presentation Fund gives Canadians increased access to the variety and richness of Canada's culture through professional arts festivals, presentations of live professional performances, and other artistic experiences.
Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage The Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program provides Canadians with more opportunities to take part in activities that present local arts and culture and celebrate local history and heritage.
Canada Cultural Investment Fund (Endowment Incentives component) The Endowment Incentives component encourages Canadians to donate to professional arts organizations. This year, the Government of Canada has provided 71 cents for every dollar donated by the private sector.
Canada Arts Training Fund The Canada Arts Training Fund contributes to the development of Canadian creators and future cultural leaders of the Canadian arts sector by supporting the training of artists with high potential through institutions that offer training of the highest calibre.
Museums Assistance Program The Museums Assistance Program provides funding to Canadian museums and related institutions for projects that foster excellence in museum activities and that facilitate access to the treasures of our collective heritage.
Virtual Museum of Canada component of the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) Program Virtualmuseum.ca is the result of a close partnership between Canada's museum community and the Department of Canadian Heritage. Spearheading this initiative, the Canadian Heritage Information Newtork is a national centre of excellence in technology, within the department, which has been helping the heritage community since 1972 to take full advantage of information technologies and to integrat these into their practices.
Cooperation with the Community Sector component of the Development of Official-Language Communities Program The Development of Official-Language Communities Program is designed to foster the vitality of Canada's French- and English-speaking minority communities and enable them to participate fully in all aspects of Canadian life.
Cultural Development Fund of the Development of Official-Language Communities Program The objectives of the Cultural Development Fund include supporting and strengthening the cultural and artistic activities of official-language minority communities to enhance their vitality, and giving Canadians access to the richness of the culture, arts, and heritage of these communities.
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