CNN 2010-08-19

A new beginning, but some things stay the same: 10 minutes, no commercials, the top news of the day, and me! I'm Carl Azuz. You're tuned¹ in to CNN Student News. Let's get started!

 

Controversy² leads off today's show. It's about an Islamic center that includes a mosque³, an Islamic place of worship, and about where it might be built: a few blocks away from Ground Zero, the spot in New York that was attacked on 9/11. Some people argue that it is insensitive to build a mosque so close to Ground Zero. In a recent CNN poll, nearly 70 percent of Americans were against this plan. Others say having the Islamic center there could help promote understanding. Last week, President Obama weighed in.

 

Muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan.

 

Okay, now some people took that statement to mean that the president is in favor of the Ground Zero mosque. A day later, he claimed he was talking about a larger issue.

 

I was not commenting, and I will not comment, on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right that people have that dates back to our founding.

 

President Obama is taking some heat for how he's handled this situation and for what he's said.

 

If the president was going to get into this, he should have been much more clear, much more precise. And you can't be changing your position from day to day on an issue which does go to our Constitution, and it also goes to extreme sensitivity. So, that's where I am critical of the president on it, for not being clear.

 

Putting aside the political reaction, there's a personal reaction to the proposed mosque. Listen to what a couple New Yorkers had to say about it.

 

I think it's terrible. It doesn't have anything to do with freedom of religion. It's making a point. There's plenty of realty all over Manhattan. There's plenty of realty anywhere. It shouldn't be here.

 

I'm glad he interjected because the Muslims have the right to prayer. It's Ramadan. We have synagogues, we have churches everywhere. I'm proud of him; I'm proud of the United States.

 

Definitely controversial, an issue that people have a lot of strong feelings about. We want to hear yours! If you go to CNNStudentNews.com, you scroll⁴ down a bit and click on our blog, "From A to Z With Carl Azuz," you can weigh in. What do you think about a mosque being built near Ground Zero? Are you for it, against it? And why? Log on and share your thoughts today.
 

1 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

4 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。