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9/11 Play Canceled After Objections Over Muslim Group's Involvement

By Julie Shapiro | March 2, 2011 11:21am | Updated on March 2, 2011 12:29pm
A 12-year-old lower Manhattan resident opposed the building of an Islamic center near Ground Zero at a rally in September 2010.
A 12-year-old lower Manhattan resident opposed the building of an Islamic center near Ground Zero at a rally in September 2010.
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Julie Shapiro/DNAinfo

By Julie Shapiro

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

LOWER MANHATTAN — A play about the devastating impact of 9/11 was canceled after a controversy over the involvement of a Muslim group that wants to build a mosque near Ground Zero.

The show, "Performing Tribute," traces the stories of six real people whose lives were forever changed on 9/11 and has received wide acclaim since it debuted in 2008.

But 9/11 family members objected to a performance scheduled for Wednesday night at the Interchurch Center in Harlem, because one of the event's sponsors is the Cordoba Initiative, a major proponent of the 13-story mosque and community center on Park Place.

Shortly after a group of family members voiced their concerns and encouraged people to attend the performance to protest, director Donna Kaz announced that she was canceling the show because the space was too small to accommodate the growing crowd.

Rosaleen Tallon, left, spoke at a rally opposing the mosque near Ground Zero last year. Her 26-year-old brother was killed on 9/11.
Rosaleen Tallon, left, spoke at a rally opposing the mosque near Ground Zero last year. Her 26-year-old brother was killed on 9/11.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

The Harlem venue only had about 100 seats, and many more people responded saying they planned to attend, Kaz said Wednesday afternoon. She hopes to reschedule the performance elsewhere but has not decided whether the Cordoba Initiative will remain a sponsor.

Rosaleen Tallon, a Yonkers resident whose firefighter brother was killed on 9/11, helped lead the objections to the show.

"We're so relieved," Tallon, 39, said Wednesday afternoon.

"We don't want 9/11 exploited by the Cordoba Initiative to further their effort to build a mosque at Ground Zero," Tallon said earlier in the day, before the show was canceled. "This is very upsetting to us."

"Performing Tribute" originated from volunteers at the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, who tell their 9/11 stories during walking tours of the area. Kaz wove six of their experiences together into the play, which started as a fundraiser for the Tribute Center.

The performers include a woman who describes the moment she learned that her firefighter husband was dead; a local resident who tells of fleeing her apartment; and a Trade Center worker who recalls the panic among those who rushed down the stairs out of the towers.

The show has been performed sporadically over the past several years, and Kaz recently received a grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council to do three performances of the play this year, to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

The Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement arranged a venue for the event because they wanted to help educate the Muslim community about the impact of the attacks, Kaz said. A poster for the event lists the organizations as sponsors also includes details on their mission to "elevate the discourse on Islam and foster environments of bridge-building and harmony."

"I really don't know why anyone would be opposed to people telling their stories about 9/11," Kaz said. "What better way to start a dialogue?"

The Cordoba Initiative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jennifer Adams, co-founder of the Tribute Center, said the center was not involved in the performance but did not object to it.

"If this is their way of healing, by building bridges with the Muslim community, then they have the full right to do that," she said. "Grief evolves in many ways."