If Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf has his way, the tensions building over the location of an Islamic cultural center two blocks from the World Trade Center site in New York will bear fruits for interfaith understanding in America. It is an attitude that is both peculiarly American, i.e. turning misfortune into success, and much-needed as part of Islam's presentation of itself to the West. The attention focused on the issue has already cleared several misunderstandings – about Muslims and Islam in the public realm. The Imam is the driving force behind the cultural center and he has become a part of the American vernacular over the past few weeks as information and misinformation about him have flooded the American media. Much of the initial press was negative as the right-wing sought to make an issue of the cultural center. Over time, more truth has been told, but the American right has a tradition of clinging to beliefs far after their validity has been destroyed. Still, the Imam is correct to attempt to use the controversy as a means of educating non-Muslim Americans about the meaning and spirit of Islam. He must also find a way to use the interfaith meeting in Madrid organized by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, as a means of furthering the message of Islam. Originally, the controversy near the WTC site was a local issue. Opportunistic politicians and a national news media starved for an August story fueled the issue right into the nightly news, and now the entire US is talking about it. It is understandable why some have misgivings about the center being located so close to Ground Zero. But it is understandable only when one accepts the ignorance behind those misgivings. So, the good Imam from New York has his work cut out for him. The cultural center is a good first step. __
