A proposed plan by Feisal Abdul Rauf to build an Islamic community ceter two blocks
from ground zero has stirred up a commotion in New York City. Many of those who have expressed
their likes and dislikes of the project have been Christian. One of them being the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg. He is in favor for the Park51 project. He states "My job is not to vet clergy in this city...Everybody has a right to their opinions. You dont have to worship there...the country is not built around ...only those ...clergy people that we agree with. Its built around freedom. Thats the wonderful thing about the First Amendment -- you can say anything you want" (Wikipedia) Bloomberg favors Park51 on grounds of property rights and religious freedom and if these rights are not practiced in our own country, then we must not preach it abroad. We are hypocrites if we do so.
What does this have to do with design? First and foremost, we find design in every aspect of life, regardless on how unrelated it may seem. Furthermore, the First Amendment was designed to instill freedom in the American society. And the mosque that has been the topic of much debate is designed to serve the Muslim population in Lower Manhattan. But most of all, the artistic beauty of a mosque and the pleasure it gives to the eyes is design.
No comments:
Post a Comment