The 9/11 Memorial, which will open on the 10th anniversary of the American national tragedy, has already attracted a lot of interest by the public, eager to book tickets for the opening.

But one of the pieces included in the Ground Zero memorial have caused such an offense to non-Christians that a US-based atheist group has filed a lawsuit against the museum administration to remove the cross-shaped steel beam on the grounds that other religions and nonreligious views should be equally represented.

The cross was blessed by Reverend Brian Jordan, a key force behind the preservation of symbols from the wreckage, and he was quoted by the Guardian for saying that no matter their religion, the beam had provided comfort to hundreds of suffering people and continues to do so.

The construction worker who found the symbolic beam in the rubbles after the devastating attack called it ‘a miracle’ — the beam is due to become part of the 9/11 museum collection that opens next year.

The president of American Atheist, Dave Silverman, who is behind the lawsuit for removal of the suggestive beam, said that 9/11 was a tragedy, “but the Christian community has secured sole representation in the memorial for itself at the exclusion of other religions and philosophies,” according to the Guardian.

Mr. Silverman explained that American Atheists had offered to pay for a more neutral arrangement; “a remedy that honors everyone equally, with a religion-neutral display, or display of equal size and prominence.” The group have suggested a firefighter carrying out a victim.

Museum officials have denied that there is any religious value connected to the beam but emphasize the role it played in the aftermath. Overall, the opening of the Ground Zero site has been a struggle for agreement since both victims’ families and interest groups have tried to affect the construction.

The Memorial is expected to accommodate a big crowd so any delays, such as a lawsuit, could seriously impede the conclusion of this painful chapter in American history.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/martystone/

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About the author

Claudia Sondergaard
Specialised in American foreign policy media discourse, I have a real passion for media and writing and feel comfortable in subjects such as human rights, politics, environment, social issues, movies, TV and books. Reporting from Denmark. Follow me @swirlgirlversus

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