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Listening to both sides
Today (Wednesday, Sept. 1) the Editorial Board met with three members of the Detroit area Moslem community: Dr. Tariq Dimashqi, President of Muslim Unity Center in West Bloomfield Hills; Victor Begg, Chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan; and Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations - Michigan (CAIR-MI).
The meeting was in response to the editorial on the proposed Islamic center/mosque for New York City as well as to discuss what has been termed “Islamophobia,” the apparent rising fear of and discrimination being shown toward people of the Islamic faith. Our editorial contended that although they have a right to construct the center on the site, which is a couple blocks from the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, out of respect for those killed in the attack, Islamic officials should choose another site.
The discussion lasted almost two hours and some valid points were brought up by the guests as well as members of the editorial board. No major solutions were created during the session but that really wasn’t the point. The visitors were given a chance to express their concerns and the open dialogue, which had already been established between The Oakland Press and local Islamic groups, was continued.
As I always stress, the Opinion Page is meant to be a forum for expressing opinions and to be fair, we always give individuals and groups a chance to respond to whatever is published on that page.
Obviously, the representatives didn’t agree with our editorial but at least they were offered a chance to explain their side.
No matter how you describe what being “fair” means, the best way for the Opinion Page to be fair is to always allow opposing views to be heard.
The meeting was in response to the editorial on the proposed Islamic center/mosque for New York City as well as to discuss what has been termed “Islamophobia,” the apparent rising fear of and discrimination being shown toward people of the Islamic faith. Our editorial contended that although they have a right to construct the center on the site, which is a couple blocks from the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, out of respect for those killed in the attack, Islamic officials should choose another site.
The discussion lasted almost two hours and some valid points were brought up by the guests as well as members of the editorial board. No major solutions were created during the session but that really wasn’t the point. The visitors were given a chance to express their concerns and the open dialogue, which had already been established between The Oakland Press and local Islamic groups, was continued.
As I always stress, the Opinion Page is meant to be a forum for expressing opinions and to be fair, we always give individuals and groups a chance to respond to whatever is published on that page.
Obviously, the representatives didn’t agree with our editorial but at least they were offered a chance to explain their side.
No matter how you describe what being “fair” means, the best way for the Opinion Page to be fair is to always allow opposing views to be heard.
posted by Allan Adler at
3:14 PM
1 Comments:
I NEVER NEW BOUCHARD AND HIS MINEONS WOULD STOOP THIS LOW. Preying on the legal people for the sake of his political career is just the worst of the worst. worst yet is the idea that our best so called police team (net) is so attached to him that they lost all esteem by arresting these so called legal pot smokers in full combat uniform. I guess they are scared to go to the real hot spots like pontiac and flint. sissy is sissy I thought they had guts
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