By Jade Scott
Editor-in-Chief
Controversies over an Islamic cultural center proposed near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and the local protest by the hate group, Wesboro Baptist Church, dominated an Oct. 4 Peace and Justice club open forum.
The forum was open to all students, faculty, and staff.  The topic of the forum was “Religious Freedom,” and recent news events took center stage.
Zahra Adni, president of Peace and Justice, opened the forum with the topic of the Islamic community center that is to be built in New York City, two blocks north of Ground Zero, hence the name opponents use, “Ground Zero Mosque.”
Many people are upset at the thought of this community center being built so close to ground center, but Adni told the group at the forum that the community center will have an auditorium, a gym, a fitness room, a fully functional kitchen for cooking classes, and many more accomadations along with the prayer center.
Patricia McIntyre, assistant profesor of theology, said she thought the center represented an important mark of progress for New York in recovering from Sept. 11.
“There is a point when a city needs to move on or the city will die,” McIntyre said. The Peace and Justice forum also addressed the Westboro Baptist Church that came to Terre Haute to protest at two church services.
Margy Frazier and Heather Ennis, both members of Peace and Justice gave background information on who and what the Westboro Baptist Church was and what they did at the protests that have made the group so infamous.


Jade Scott, Oct. 18, Westboro