Soledad O'Moran vs Imam Rauf

In this interview it is revealed why CNN isn't worth a good God damn.

Soledad O'Brian is snide, rude, dismissive and completely uninformed about her subject, Imama Feisal Adbul Rauf, head of the Cordoba Initiative and architect of the Park 51 project- but then again, what else should you expect from the Corporate News network?



Just as a contrast look at this report from that radical network - CNN - which profiles Imam Rauf, and contrary to Soledad, seems to know something about him. Wow, look what some basic research on your subject can do!



In this piece, it is noted that Imam Rauf has indeed been working on behalf of the U.S. State Dept for the past 2 months and has been overseas in that capacity, feeling that is was inappropriate to address a situation like this from other shores.

In this piece, it is said that he is of the Sufi sect which is opposed to the radicalism and violence of Al Qeada, Hezbollah or Hamas. (Yet, Still Soledad has to ask him if he "condemns" Hamas for their actions - FACE PALM!)

In this piece it's pointed out that Park 51 is not an Islamic Mosque, but an true Inter-Faith Center which will include not only a prayer space for Muslims but also for Christians and Jews. It is pointed out that it will contain a 9-11 Memorial that will be open to persons of all faiths. (Yet still, Soledad has to ask him repeated why he won't simply move "the mosque" somewhere else - where, naturally it's 9-11 memorial would have no meaning or power - and continually harangue on him about how people who don't know half the facts, like the fact it's not a "Mosque", "feel" about it)

Simply put this is not a "Victory Mosque", but is instead an Inter-Faith Community Center Design to enable Muslims and non-Muslims to get to know each other casually in order to help build the bonds of peace. (Yet Soledad continues to ask, over and over again, "Are you still going to build it there" - ignoring the fact that opposition to the mosque has already helped Taliban Recuitement, the result of moving it in capitulation to all the whining would at the very least make it skyrocket, and hence Feisal being sensitive to that old pesky issue - National Security - is not going to run away and hide simply because of few opportunistic politicians have decided to create a false issue out of the situation and put our Troops in the crossfire as a result)

Watching this, is literally like looking at two people who are living in two parallel dimensions try to have a coherent conversation. instead of the multi-phasic quantum train wreck their experiencing.

The bit about the strip clubs, which Soledad blows off as irrelevent is especially poignant as Rauf responds to her "How can something be 'Sacred Ground' when it includes Strip Clubs?".

is this a Sacred Strip Club? Holy Strippers for the Lord? Oh geebus, don't let any of those dirty Muslims near the Strippers - who knows what might happen! (Someone might wind up with big pile of singles in their g-string)

This is a farce, from top to bottom.

Whose side are you on Soledad, America's or the Radical Christian/Muslim Extremists? Frankly the the radicals from both sides (as Feisal points out repeatedly) are only people who benefit from this situation and want to prolong it, so why are you helping them so stupidly and enthusiastically, Ms. O'Brain? (No, that wasn't a typo)

For his part Feisal does a credible job of making his case, despite Soledad's dismissive attitude and rude interruptions. It's fair to say that some hard questions needed to be asked and answered in this situation, but - gee - if Soledad had only bothered to watch her own damn network she would have already had the answer to half those questions, and wouldn't have had to repeat them 4 or 5 times after Feisal gave a perfectly logical and coherent answer.

Sad and pathetic "journalism" you got there.

vyan