Steroetyping

Stereotyping Stopping the Building of a Mosque?

The term associated with Muslims in American is terrorists. Since September 11, 2001, the media has bombarded America with images that reinforce the stereotyping of Muslims. Recently, plans were revealed for the Park51 building, which is being referred to as the “Ground Zero Mosque”. According to Park51 Community Center, the Park51 is a nonsectarian community, cultural and interfaith spiritual center along with a Muslim prayer area and a monument to honor all those we lost on 9/11 (Park51, 2010).

Journalist’s use the “Ground Zero Mosque” shorthand to instantly remind readers why they should care about the story (Sledge, 2010). Opposition to a proposed mosque near Ground Zero swelled into a furor after its planners passed the last municipal hurdle barring them from building it. New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg spoke passionately in defense of the project. "Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbors grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans," Bloomberg said in a speech (Tharoor, 2010). Why should Muslins not be allowed to build a mosque?

The former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, claimed that the project, which is partially intended to be an interfaith community center, would be a "desecration," adding that "decent" Muslims ought not to object to his opinion (Tharoor, 2010). Some argue that a mosque near Ground Zero would be a monument to terrorists. The mosque is not exactly a mosque, nor is it at Ground Zero.

The Community Center at Park51 will occupy not a solitary inch of the 16-block site on which the Twin Towers stood (Ratnesar, 2010). When the building is finished, it will house a mosque, swimming pool, basketball court, auditorium, library, day-care facility, restaurant, and cooking school. Twenty-nine out of 30 lower Manhattan community-board members voted to approve it (Ratnesar, 2010).

On August 25, 2010, a Muslim New York City cab...