#39707: — 09/12  at  07:57 PM

Sorry, the red crescent is the relief organization. Colors of the crescent is white (minority) on green (majority). It always helps to talk to a muslim, practicing or otherwise

Now that’s a nice rejoinder. See, Ms. Clarke? Greg didn't have to act adolescent. Yes, I know about the relief organization. The memorial is called "Crescent of Embrace." You guys (and gals) still haven't convinced me why a well-know Islamic symbol (it's like the Red Cross in Muslim countries for crying out loud) wouldn't be an insensitive memorial to an islamists terrorist act.

#39711: — 09/12  at  08:29 PM

Greg didn't have to act adolescent

I meant Michael. Boy, is my face red.

#39713: Geoffrey Brent — 09/12  at  08:42 PM
Considering that the jury that selected the design (over many, many competitors) included family members of the victims, it seems these concerns are not shared by those whose sensitivities really *matter* here - as opposed to those like Malkin, who are determined to see Muslims under every bed.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05251/567702.stm

#39714: Chris Clarke — 09/12  at  08:47 PM
You guys (and gals) still haven't convinced me why a well-know Islamic symbol (it's like the Red Cross in Muslim countries for crying out loud) wouldn't be an insensitive memorial to an islamists terrorist act.

I had trouble convincing my friend Bill that space aliens weren't the ones making him think about setting the house on fire either. Thorazine helped him. Word to the wise.

The memorial is called "Crescent of Embrace."

So? The face on Mars is often called the "Face On Mars," but that doesn't make it a face. I'm calling you a wingnut right now, but that doesn't make you useful for fastening things.

Artists use words wrongly fairly often. Sometimes it's called metaphor or poetic license. Sometimes it''s just a mistake. That doesn't make a semicircle a crescent.

#39768: The Commissar — 09/13  at  08:37 AM
Chris Clarke,

The official title of that element of the memorial is the "Crescent of Embrace."

All,

Call me an insane wingnut, but architects don't do things by accident. They infuse forms with meaning, especially in memorials where functional requirements are at a minimum. (Hoover Dam is a 'crescent' because of physics.)

Also, some family members DID object to the word 'crescent' for obvious reasons, and the architect ignored that objection.

#39898: — 09/13  at  04:20 PM
The line of argumentation here bothers me. The islamic symbol is a crescent moon and star. Is there a star here within the design? The symbol is emblematic of the total occlusion of the new moon that both initiates Ramadan, and the second new moon that signals the Eid. It represents all adherents of Islam, not just the insane Wassabists that are represented by the cult of Al Quida. If we continue to conflate the existential with the universal, then yes, we will gain the oppobrium of 1.4 billion people, will reap the whirlwind, and that confusion rests upon fools like Malkin and their ilk.

What are we going to do with the crescent wrench? Is that a symbol of Islam as well? How about algebra? Since it was developed by arabic scholars, we should not teach it?