Link to the Show / Show NotesComplete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/11/08/Ground_Zero_Tolerance_Americas_Culture_War
Social critic Wendy Kaminer draws paralles between conservative opposition to the he planned Park51 Muslim community center near Ground Zero and liberal attempts to limit "politically incorrect" speech. Kaminer points out that both arguments support curbing First Amendment rights in the interest of protecting a group from emotional harm.
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The clearance by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for the so-called "Ground Zero mosque" to be built in lower Manhattan received national coverage amidst a raging debate. Initiated by Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich and then weighed in upon by Mayor Bloomberg and President Obama, the debate focuses on whether Park 51, the 13-story Islamic cultural center, should be allowed to be built so close to 9/11's Ground Zero.
Those who oppose Park 51 argue either that the project is insensitive because Ground Zero is unique and a kind of "hallowed ground," as journalist Charles Krauthammer put it, or that it is politically motivated by an anti-American agenda and should not be treated with the same tolerance as a religious institution. Those defending the Islamic center have been quick to label opponents as bigots and claimed the center will be a bridge to cultural harmony by promoting moderation, non-violence, and diversity.
Is this apparent new backlash against Muslims in Western nations a new version of the “culture wars”? While religious freedom has been a consistent part of the Enlightenment tradition, does the increasing antagonism towards Muslims in the West express a feeling that we tolerate what some consider the intolerant at our peril? How should today's American society deal with clashing belief systems? Does the current preoccupation with Islam, whether sympathetic or hostile, reflect a deeper lack of certainty about what Western values are? - The New School
Wendy Kaminer is a lawyer, social critic and has been a contributing editor of The Atlantic since 1991. She writes about law, liberty, feminism, religion and popular culture and has written seven books, including Free for All; Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials; and I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional. Kaminer worked as a staff attorney in the New York Legal Aid Society and in the New York City Mayor's Office and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1993. She is a renowned contrarian who has tackled the issues of censorship and pornography, feminism, pop psychology, gender roles and identities, crime and the criminal-justice system, and gun control. She is now a senior correspondent for The American Prospect and her articles and reviews have appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The American Prospect, Dissent, The Nation, The Wilson Quarterly, Free Inquiry, and spiked-online.com. Her commentaries have aired on National Public Radio.
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