Palin Calls Planned Islamic Center Near Ground Zero a 'Provocation'

For those who aren't yet aware, a new Islamic community center is being built and facilitated near Ground Zero where the Twin Towers used to be. The Cordoba Project, framed and named through inspiration from the YMCA and JCC (Jewish Community Center) formats in these respective traditions and called Cordoba after the Spanish city in the middle ages that fostered fruitful relations between all the Abrahamic faiths, is to be a community center designed to serve the local community and reach out to neighboring religions and cultures in the spirit of dialogue and collaboration toward equality, justice, and peace. It's really about improving Muslim-West relations.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is the chair of the Cordoba initiative and founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement, which was the first U.S. program focusing on bring together Muslims and non-Muslim through the avenues of academia, policy, current affairs, and culture.

However, though the Cordoba Project is actually a force for good, truth, and justice dedicated to fostering greater understanding across communities, cultures, and religions, Sarah Palin has denounced these efforts as "provocation" and against the "interests of healing" (The Hill, 7/18/10).

I believe Palin has grossly misunderstood the intentions and possibilities of the Cordoba initiative. Rather than spreading rumors and distorted tropes, perhaps she could gain a bit more insight through seeking to better understand and learn from the principles and actions of this very important and peace-making project.

For more, read the whole article by Ben Geman at The Hill.