Journalists are keen on anniversaries of all types. They give us a reason to return to a subject even though nothing beyond the passage of time has actually happened. Sometimes, that's welcomed by listeners who welcome the chance to revisit issues and emotions that remain of the moment to them. I started working at 大象传媒 a few weeks after the 9/11 attacks and every year have observed how we've approached the anniversary. For the first two or three years, the appetite of journalist and listener for coverage was beyond dispute. America had led the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, Ground Zero had been cleared but its future had not been decided, and the search for Osama bin Laden remained big news.
I remember though us hosting discussions on September 11 in 2007 and 2008, and noticing that the number of emails we received were not particularly high. It also felt like the more immediate concerns caused by the uncertainty in Iraq were more relevant to some of you than the attacks. All of which led to discussions among the WHYS team about whether the anniversary warranted us marking it (we weren't suggesting it wasn't a news story, but did it really prompt discussion as it once had?).
All of these questions have gone this year. The 'Ground Zero mosque' (which I know isn't a mosque) and Pastor Terry Jones mean that this year's anniversary brings into sharp focus a raging debate about America's relationship with Islam.
There's no shortage of people talking about the 'responsible' and the 'right' thing to do in both of these cases. But there's scant agreement on what those two terms mean. Making allowances for sensitivities is either a small step towards intolerance or a small step towards compromising America's commitment to freedom.
And in the middle of this we have a new poll from ABC and the Washington Post that finds that 49% of Americans say they have generally unfavourable opinions of Islam.
We're over 12 hours away from being on air and the way things are shifting I'm not going to second guess exactly what we'll talk about on Friday's show. However, it's certain that the 9/11 anniversary will demand a central place in our conversations in a way that it hasn't in the past couple of years.
Your comments
Comment sent via host
18:59
113631290
That''s all from us in New York and London. See you on Monday.
Comment sent via SMS
18:52
111422351
I really doubt the motivation behind the cultural centre. If it truly is meant to be for a mixture of faiths in USA. Why is it called Cordoba? Why not aNew York name? Cordoba has meaning for muslims. Kath. Glasgow
Comment sent via BLOG
18:47
113631290
Lincoln Muri - Fort Myers Beach on the blog - Protesting over a guy in Florida burning some Korans seems rather infantile. Why would I give a hoot if someone burnt his copies of the "Holy Bible?" It wouldn't affect my faith or affect Christianity in the least. I think the Muslims protesting have too much time on their hands. They should do something more productive with their time, like try to increase their nation's GDP.
Comment sent via BLOG
18:43
113631290
Christina323 on the blog - I listened to Pres. Obama's press conference in full, and was inspired by his words on our nation's need to keep to its history on religious freedom. I cannot help but be reminded of Ghandi's entreaty to a Hindu who had lost his child in the clashes between Hindus and Muslims, that the only way to heal would be to adopt and raise a Muslim orphan as his own child
Comment sent via BLOG
18:42
113631290
RCalabaro on the blog - There are fringe elements of every major religion who perform acts of violence in the name of God. There are mosques already even closer to Ground Zero than this proposed Islamic center, which by the way is a former Burlington Coat Factory... hardly "sacred ground."
Comment sent via BLOG
18:40
113631290
Kate M on the blog - 9/11 is a day of mourning for Americans. You should never tell someone who is mourning "to get over it."
Comment sent via BLOG
18:38
113631290
Bob Howes on the blog - With the utmost respect to previous posters (and to those who died), I think it is time for Americans to move on. War--and terrorism--have been with us for eternity and dwelling on past atrocities simply keeps the wound open and encourages more distrust and hatred.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:37
113631290
Sam Richards - Our country is built in great religious & cultural tolerance, we have accepted everything that has come to us & mold our life around it. So, I & Our country is always positive.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:31
113631290
Cheryl Wong - Besides, it's Eid. A time for celebration and forgiveness in the Muslim world. How would you feel if an imam said he wanted to burn Bibles during Christmas?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:29
113631290
Sunil Singh - The media has definitely inflated the whole situation unnecessarily. The burning of the koran should not have been given so much airtime in the first place!
Comment sent via Facebook
18:28
113631290
Amanor Emmanuel - You cant burn someone's sacred book just to indicate that its a violent religion. In any case, the association of Islam to violence and terrorism is just a charade yet to be determined only by God. Terry, you're not God, ye of little faith. You dont even believe God can himself handle this issue.
Comment sent via Facebook
18:28
113631290
Carmen Lazo - How can people believe to a pastor whose actions teach exactly the opposite to what Christian gospel is?
Comment sent via Facebook
18:27
113631290
Kamya Peter - I think that pastor shud be exemplary..burnin the Koran cant change anythng but just to worsen the rift..pliz pastor lets lead by example and i doubt if xtianity encourages revenge
Comment sent via BLOG
18:07
113631290
Zarrida on the blog - if he do so there will be more death then 9/11 for sure. So whats the point to burn it! By doing this he will bring up big war its very serioz problem. I hope he will change his mine.
Comment sent via Twitter
17:36
114732354
@大象传媒_WHYS use of America and Islam in one sentence is an oxymoron. Two incompatible political ideologies.
Comment sent via host
17:51
113631290
Hello, wherever you are in the world, from Ben S in London and Ros live in New York City, at Park 51 - site of the proposed religious centre which is stirring so much feeling in the city. Following Pastor Terry Jones'' decision not to proceed with his Koran burning, what is the state of America''s relations with the Islamic world?
9/11: Nine Years On
| Friday, 9 Sept. 2010 | 18:00 - 19:00 GMT
Journalists are keen on anniversaries of all types. They give us a reason to return to a subject even though nothing beyond the passage of time has actually happened. Sometimes, that's welcomed by listeners who welcome the chance to revisit issues and emotions that remain of the moment to them.
I started working at 大象传媒 a few weeks after the 9/11 attacks and every year have observed how we've approached the anniversary. For the first two or three years, the appetite of journalist and listener for coverage was beyond dispute. America had led the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, Ground Zero had been cleared but its future had not been decided, and the search for Osama bin Laden remained big news.
I remember though us hosting discussions on September 11 in 2007 and 2008, and noticing that the number of emails we received were not particularly high. It also felt like the more immediate concerns caused by the uncertainty in Iraq were more relevant to some of you than the attacks. All of which led to discussions among the WHYS team about whether the anniversary warranted us marking it (we weren't suggesting it wasn't a news story, but did it really prompt discussion as it once had?).
All of these questions have gone this year. The 'Ground Zero mosque' (which I know isn't a mosque) and Pastor Terry Jones mean that this year's anniversary brings into sharp focus a raging debate about America's relationship with Islam.
There's no shortage of people talking about the 'responsible' and the 'right' thing to do in both of these cases. But there's scant agreement on what those two terms mean.
Making allowances for sensitivities is either a small step towards intolerance or a small step towards compromising America's commitment to freedom.
And in the middle of this we have a new poll from ABC and the Washington Post that finds that 49% of Americans say they have generally unfavourable opinions of Islam.
We're over 12 hours away from being on air and the way things are shifting I'm not going to second guess exactly what we'll talk about on Friday's show. However, it's certain that the 9/11 anniversary will demand a central place in our conversations in a way that it hasn't in the past couple of years.
Your comments
Comment sent via host
That''s all from us in New York and London. See you on Monday.
Comment sent via SMS
I really doubt the motivation behind the cultural centre. If it truly is meant to be for a mixture of faiths in USA. Why is it called Cordoba? Why not aNew York name? Cordoba has meaning for muslims. Kath. Glasgow
Comment sent via BLOG
Lincoln Muri - Fort Myers Beach on the blog - Protesting over a guy in Florida burning some Korans seems rather infantile. Why would I give a hoot if someone burnt his copies of the "Holy Bible?" It wouldn't affect my faith or affect Christianity in the least. I think the Muslims protesting have too much time on their hands. They should do something more productive with their time, like try to increase their nation's GDP.
Comment sent via BLOG
Christina323 on the blog - I listened to Pres. Obama's press conference in full, and was inspired by his words on our nation's need to keep to its history on religious freedom. I cannot help but be reminded of Ghandi's entreaty to a Hindu who had lost his child in the clashes between Hindus and Muslims, that the only way to heal would be to adopt and raise a Muslim orphan as his own child
Comment sent via BLOG
RCalabaro on the blog - There are fringe elements of every major religion who perform acts of violence in the name of God. There are mosques already even closer to Ground Zero than this proposed Islamic center, which by the way is a former Burlington Coat Factory... hardly "sacred ground."
Comment sent via BLOG
Kate M on the blog - 9/11 is a day of mourning for Americans. You should never tell someone who is mourning "to get over it."
Comment sent via BLOG
Bob Howes on the blog - With the utmost respect to previous posters (and to those who died), I think it is time for Americans to move on. War--and terrorism--have been with us for eternity and dwelling on past atrocities simply keeps the wound open and encourages more distrust and hatred.
Comment sent via Facebook
Sam Richards - Our country is built in great religious & cultural tolerance, we have accepted everything that has come to us & mold our life around it. So, I & Our country is always positive.
Comment sent via Facebook
Cheryl Wong - Besides, it's Eid. A time for celebration and forgiveness in the Muslim world. How would you feel if an imam said he wanted to burn Bibles during Christmas?
Comment sent via Facebook
Sunil Singh - The media has definitely inflated the whole situation unnecessarily. The burning of the koran should not have been given so much airtime in the first place!
Comment sent via Facebook
Amanor Emmanuel - You cant burn someone's sacred book just to indicate that its a violent religion. In any case, the association of Islam to violence and terrorism is just a charade yet to be determined only by God. Terry, you're not God, ye of little faith. You dont even believe God can himself handle this issue.
Comment sent via Facebook
Carmen Lazo - How can people believe to a pastor whose actions teach exactly the opposite to what Christian gospel is?
Comment sent via Facebook
Kamya Peter - I think that pastor shud be exemplary..burnin the Koran cant change anythng but just to worsen the rift..pliz pastor lets lead by example and i doubt if xtianity encourages revenge
Comment sent via BLOG
Zarrida on the blog - if he do so there will be more death then 9/11 for sure. So whats the point to burn it! By doing this he will bring up big war its very serioz problem. I hope he will change his mine.
Comment sent via Twitter
@大象传媒_WHYS use of America and Islam in one sentence is an oxymoron. Two incompatible political ideologies.
Comment sent via host
Hello, wherever you are in the world, from Ben S in London and Ros live in New York City, at Park 51 - site of the proposed religious centre which is stirring so much feeling in the city. Following Pastor Terry Jones'' decision not to proceed with his Koran burning, what is the state of America''s relations with the Islamic world?