IT HAS been almost a decade since the horrifying images of the Sept. 11 attacks were broadcast around the world. Although no one rightfully can deny the appalling nature of the events themselves, the controversies that developed in the aftermath of the attacks - war, racial tension in the U.S. and religious conflict, just to name a few - have persisted ever since.
Moreover, they do not appear to be dying down soon. It seems unfortunately fitting, then, that even something like the ten-year memorial of the attacks should be the center of much argument.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced the upcoming ten-year anniversary of Sept. 11 appropriately will be focused on the victims of the attacks and their families. Among other notable attendees of the ceremony will be politicians and elected officials, including President Obama and former President George W. Bush. There will be opportunities throughout the ceremony for readings performed by family members, as well as six moments of silence to allow for personal introspection and commemoration of the victims.
There has been significant outcry, though, about Bloomberg's decision to not have any members of the clergy speak at the service. Many are declaring that the mayor's decision represents anti-religious bigotry. Others claim the mayor is denying church members the ability to speak so as to avoid obligations to allow a Muslim spiritual leader to speak.
Although it is possible that members of the audience would take solace from hearing speeches given by religious leaders, Bloomberg is making the right decision in maintaining a ceremony that is focused on and led by those who were impacted most immediately by the attacks. Having victims' family members speak at the proceedings is most suitable. This is not to say, however, that religion will be eliminated entirely from the ceremony.
Speeches by family members, for example, may be religious or spiritual. If family members' remarks are centered on religion, their words will be more fitting than religious speeches made by church leaders because of the personal connection between the victims and their families. Additionally, any audience member can use the moments of silence to pray and reflect in a religious manner.
Bloomberg's proposal is not, therefore, a case of religious discrimination. The American Family Association, among other outraged Christians, is calling the barring of clergymen insulting to "the faith of Americans and indeed to God himself". Yet this statement is a gross misinterpretation of what the ceremony is actually about. After all, no clergymen have spoken at the previous nine memorial ceremonies that have occurred since the attacks. Moreover, having the ceremony take place within an overtly spiritual context would ultimately segregate the attending families by religion, when the goal of the ceremony should be to transcend religion, race and other dividing barriers so that the families can realize the common bond they share. What faiths the victims' families practice is completely irrelevant to the ceremony when the proceedings serve to unite them in their shared losses.
Hopefully, there also will be no hypothesizing at the memorial service about why God let the terrorist attacks occur or how the deaths of the 2,819 victims were the result of some cosmic plan. These discussions are designated more properly to places of worship. Surely a multitude of religious services and prayer meetings will be held at or around the time of the ceremony, and they will be adequate in providing the theological guidance that will not be offered by the speakers at Ground Zero.
The fact of the matter is that the attacks happened because of other people's extreme hatred toward the United States. There is no rhyme or reason to why the victims had to die. Bloomberg, therefore, made the right call by keeping the ten-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks focused on the victims. The upcoming ceremony is about coming together to honor the innocents who were killed. Nothing, not even religion, should detract from that.
Bloomberg is not keeping clergymen from speaking because he is taking a stand against religion. Rather, he simply is maintaining that the ceremony will have different priorities. The goal of the Ground Zero service is not to draw attention to the victims by placing them in a religious context, but to cherish their memories through the words of family and friends.
Alex Yahanda's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at a.yahanda@cavalierdaily.com.
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