Fri May 18, 2012
Maitri Somaia
Of Temples, Mosques and Churches
By Maitri Somaia, United Arab Emirates, Dubai – September 2010
When I first learned about plans to build the Park 51 Cordoba House religious community centre close to Ground Zero – the site of one of the worst terrorist attacks in the West – I did not pay much attention. Having lived in an Islamic country for half my life hearing the Azan, or the call to prayer ringing five times a day from the mosques on almost every block of the downtown area this news made little difference to me. One more mosque in the world didn’t seem such a big deal wherever it was built.
But when the headline, “Ground Zero Mosque” kept appearing on my Google Reader, I came to learn that this particular mosque had become the center of an intense international debate.
Curious to understand why, I started to research the “truths,” the myths, the parodies, the comments, the blogs and watched Youtube videos. I wanted to become part of the discussion. Yet every link I clicked argued for me to take that particular side.
Yet in the UAE two of the three English dailies had not even made the story front page news. In fact what had become a contentious international discussion was kept in check by the UAE internet provider. At least one in every 10 websites that led with an interesting Google description was “Blocked.” The reasoning – “The content of this website is objectionable to, or is contrary to the public interest, public morality, public order, public and national security, Islam morality or is otherwise prohibited by any applicable UAE law, regulation, procedure, order or requirement.”
But the one thing that even controlling governments cannot censor is good old conversation so I started speaking with friends about the issue.
“I don’t believe newspapers [and] I think most of the coverage on television is dramatized,” said Nasir Rauf. “As an artist, I generally want to have as little to do with the world affairs as possible.”
Rauf, a 34 year old Art Director in an advertising agency, comes from Pakistan but has lived in the UAE for the past three years. A practicing Muslim, Nasir opined that if he were in the US, he would support the construction of the Islamic centre and mosque. “For that matter, I would even support building a church there – if it is built with the purpose of peace, I would support it.”
Nasir, aware of the perception in the West that the 9/11 attacks are linked to extremist Islamic terrorists, does not believe that “Islamic extremists” were involved – just “extremists.”
“Imagine we are 20 students in a class, learning from the same book. All 20 students have different personalities, backgrounds and upbringing [but] we will also have diverse perspectives about the same book. Some of us will follow it verbatim, some will be against it and some may perceive it entirely differently. Can you blame the book or the syllabus? Similarly, the Quran is a book and Islam cannot be blamed for how some extremists perceived Allah’s message. There is no violence or extremism in Islam.”
Bushra Khalil, a 22 year old Indian Muslim girl studying to be a doctor in the UAE, had also not heard about the issue surrounding the proposed mosque until I spoke to her about it. Her view was as peaceful as her voice. “With the media, I always feel like I never know the entire truth about any matter. Building a mosque in that particular area is a sensitive issue and I just hope that everybody’s safety is kept in mind before taking any action. Burning the Quran in protest is neither safe for the people involved, nor an adult way of expressing disapproval. I think every matter can reach a conclusion if all the parties involved sit down and speak about it.”
But 30 year old Rami said, “I don’t think they should build a mosque there… or anywhere.” Rami, an Art Director and Photographer in the UAE comes from Syria and was raised by Christian parents. He describes himself as an atheist fundamentalist who believes that religion and politics have become too intertwined for either to be analyzed separately.
Indeed, he believes media has played a big and often negative role in its portrayal of Arabs in the world. “I am not a Muslim but I face issues at airports and my passport is checked thoroughly to see what countries I have visited – have I been to Iran, etcetera.” Aware that he represents a small minority in the Arab World, Rami went on to say, “If the media put in a little more effort, I am sure they will find many interesting ideas from Arabs, apart from the stereotypes [they present]. I think about it a lot… maybe I will make a movie about it someday.”
I realize that the issue over the proposed mosque and community centre being built so close to Ground Zero is not so easily quelled by conversations like these but they are a first step. It takes years, perhaps even decades of conversations to create a change in mindset.
On Friday mornings in my neighborhood a group of 30 people together to chant Hindu hymns. Friday mornings are also a time when Muslims, old and young, rich and poor, gather for their most important prayer of the week in a neighboring mosque. Religion to both these groups has the common link of being practiced as a community – be it in a living room or in a mosque. It is when the sounds of the Arabic and Sanskrit prayers become one in my home, that Rami’s words make most sense, “No mosques, no temples, no churches… we just need more art galleries.”
*Maitri Somaia is a media professional based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She is regularly amazed at the oblique coverage of issues and events in the local media of the UAE. A fiction writer at heart, Maitri often toys with the idea of changing the world, one political opinion article at a time.
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Great article Maitri. Very simple and straightforward. You constantly impress me. Congratulations.