Beyond Belief - Islam in America

Ernie Rea is joined by three guests who discuss how their own religious tradition affects their values and outlook on the world, often revealing hidden and contradictory truths. In this programme Ernie Rea and his guests explore the history and place of Islam in America, following recent tensions over plans to build an Islamic cultural centre close to Ground Zero in New York. Confusion over whether the building will be a mosque or a community centre have fuelled suspicions over the motivation of those behind the plans and given rise to a wave of Islamophobia across the USA. In the countdown to the mid-term elections in November, is such anti-Muslim rhetoric politically motivated or are Americans having a long overdue conversation about the place of Islam in their society? Joining Ernie to discuss this are Robert Salaam a former US Marine who converted to Islam and is now the editor of The American Muslim: Dr Hussein Rashid, Lecturer at Hofstra University in New York and associate editor of Religion Dispatches; and Daniel Pipes Director of the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia. The middle interview comes from Pamela Geller, editor of the blog, AtlasShrugs.com and author of "The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America." Producer: Karen Maurice.