(ENG102) Islam

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  • 7/21/2019 (ENG102) Islam

    1/5

    Heston Allred

    Eng 102

    Section 76151, Online

    Islam Is a Religion, Not a Terror Idealogy

    Jocelyne Cesari

    CNN

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/08/24/cesari.islam.is.a.religion/index.html

    On Ground Zero Mosque New Yorks Bloomberg STILL Doesnt It

    Michael Goodwin

    Fox News

    http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/08/25/michael-goodwin-ground-zero-

    mosque-bloomberg-ramadan-dinner-paterson-dolan/ews

  • 7/21/2019 (ENG102) Islam

    2/5

    Heston Allred

    Eng 102

    Section 76151, Online

    The articles, "On Ground Zero Mosque New York's B loomberg STILL

    Doesn't Get It" and, "Islam Is a Religion, Not a Terror Ideology," each support

    opposite positions i n reference to a proposed Islamic m osque being built in New

    York City near ground zero. The rst opposes t he building of the mosque. The

    second supports i t. Their positions a re based on different rhetorical strategies

    some of which are used only in one of the articles as well as some which can be

    found in both.

    Both articles' headlines a lone communicate through implication the

    attitudes o f each towards t he proposed mosque. Jocelyne Cesari's h eadline

    contrasts t wo different attitudes o r ideas a bout the manner in which the title or

    term "Islam" is vi ewed and categorized. It can be assumed she is r eferring

    specically to the way t he general American populace views o r uses t he t erm and

    more generally towards t he w ay "W esterners" do b ecause the a rticle is p ublished

    on a fairly well known U.S. National news corporation's w ebsite. In addition to

    that the article later more explicitly d enes t he audience by s tating, "American

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    Heston Allred

    Eng 102

    Section 76151, Online

    and European debate o n Islam often revolvesBut because many Westerners

    associate Islam" Thus, by c ontrasting that Islam is a religion but is n ot a terror

    ideology i t is e vident that the article is i n support of the building of the mosque

    and that any o pposition to it would be because of the terrorist nature of Islam.

    The other article by Michael Goodwin also uses i mplication within the headline,

    which communicates t he antagonistic a ttitude of the article towards t he mosque.

    New York C ity's m ayor is cr iticized in the headline, "New York's B loomberg STILL

    Doesn't Get It". The mayor is i n support of the mosque therefore we can surmise

    the author and article are not.

    Another rhetorical strategy used is language choice. The article against

    the building o f the m osque is r eplete w ith n umerous exa mples o f words a nd

    phrases, which often seemed to be aimed at criticizing and in some instances

    belittling. Through name-calling and sarcasm politicians, businessmen, one of

    the developers o f the mosque and h is w ife, (all of whom are openly for the

    mosque) are criticized. For example the article states, "The movement would b e

    complete if only Mayor Bloomberg came to his se nses." It then s tates, "The

    project's co -founder, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf went so far as t o say, "the fact we

    are getting this kind of attention is a sign of success." that's either dopey or

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    Heston Allred

    Eng 102

    Section 76151, Online

    dangerous, especially for someone supposedly trying to promote U.S.- Muslim

    relations." The w ords dopey and dangerous are u sed to criticize a specic c o-

    founder of the m osque and the phrase "came to his se nses" is u sed negatively in

    reference to the c ity's m ayor. P hrases su ch as "cold insistence," "darkest

    concerns," and "He h as i t perfectly backwards," are a lso used when talking a bout

    supporters or advocates of the mosque. The other article is a lso critical, however

    the critiques a re directed towards a n idea or viewpoint rather than towards

    specic p eople. Words su ch as " disturbingly" are used to communicate that

    certain attitudes o ught to alarm the general public, although in very few

    instances. Furthermore the words " collusion" and "unease" along with the phrase

    "extreme right-wing parliamentarian" nd reference to what the author considers

    the political attitude and bias o f national governments i n the west. These words

    and phrases c onnote that the political stance of the west is m orally s uspect

    without further examination.

    In conclusion the articles have conicting attitudes t oward the same issue.

    However, they both use similar rhetorical strategies. Both imply certain attitudes

    through their headlines a s w ell as u se a certain set of vocabulary a nd language

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    Heston Allred

    Eng 102

    Section 76151, Online

    choice to demonstrate the worth or worthlessness of a particular position.

    Although they differ in regards t o the exact manner in which they do so.