Mayor Bloomberg Speech on Ground Zero Mosque at Governor's Island

Introduction

Mayor Bloomberg would step on to the podium with facing the crowd to a backdrop of the Statute of Liberty overlooking his stance to address a controversial issue of cohesion, tolerance and social liberty. The speech came up in contexts of the 9/11 attack and emotions not only among the audience but even for the officials and administrators such as Bloomberg were quite heightened. The speech was amidst myriads in public considering that the Mayor indeed needed impeachment yet others thought it quite brave for him to bear such ideations at the time. The elephant in the room had been the Mayor's decision to allow a group of Muslims to continue their year-long building of a mosque near the WTC. In the speech, Bloomberg makes a remarkably wise appeal to the audience through ethos, pathos, and logos in expressing that the 9/11 attack was indeed non-religious and that the group of Muslims that had been worshipping even just two blocks away from Ground Zero would be able to continue with their worship.

Appeals to Logos

His primary appeal is to logos by making sense of a situation that had affected the public over the few previous months. His main move was an acknowledgment of the possibility of peace even after the 9/11 attack. The contexts of the speech involved heightened suspicion among the public against the Muslim community as the terrorists were typically a religion motivated group dominant in Arab countries. As such, Arabs Muslims and Muslims in America, in general, were in some form of perjury where they were not only suspected by the government but by the public as well, and the media took rather substantial attention to it. The speech in support of the renovation of the mosque was thus not only a plea for the Muslim community but for religious freedom of all minority faiths (Bloomberg). The mayor was pointing at reason among his audience defending the public so that they would recognize that they had a duty to prevent minority faiths such as the Muslims from being ostracized in a place that was otherwise meant to be free. Through the speech, he was making the city of New York and as a historical symbol to the rest of the nation that they denied an innocent minority their rights based on a stereotypic presumption.

Appeals to Ethos

As Bloomberg was making his statement, the public was aware of his position, and his role in city affairs and thus was his appeal to ethos. Bloomberg in his position as the mayor and his background as an individual from a diverse cultural background made his speech quite believable. He thus noted that he was addressing New York city which had to get it right with regards to handling the events that would ensure the 9/11 attacks. As the mayor, and custodial leader of the city and its affairs, he was quite poised to inviting the public to support peace and tolerance. "New York city was built by immigrants and is sustained by immigrants," he stated, trying to calm a public that was already angry and rather wary of the implications of his perspectives (Bloomberg, N.p). As he continued to claim that it would be constitutionally wrong to deny people of Park51 a chance to build the interfaith center, he was also alluding to previous controversial days that followed the attack. Bloomberg's previous support of police surveillance had already brushed roughly against the already fragmented and rather sensitive Muslim community. As such, his speech was a good way of clearing the air concerning his real intention on the matter as mayor.

Appeals to Pathos

Nonetheless, the mayor appeals to pathos in his speech by showing that he understood the public's perception towards the perpetrators of the terrorist attack. As such in his speech he attempted to reflect on the emotions of his audience and the public while also attempting to articulate the important message he had. He appeals to the audience's anger by shunning the terrorist acts and condemning them as 'murderous criminals.' He particularly distances the attack from religion terming that it instead was mass murder. He expresses that he realized the situation at hand by stating, "I have always been envious of you because you work at the real level where the real problems are," (Bloomberg). In this, he appeals to their role stating that serving as a mayor alongside leaders such as the religious leaders he was addressing were some of the biggest privileges of his life and was for the betterment of the city of New York.

The speech by Bloomberg is set at Park51 and just months after 9/11 at a place and time that was surrounded by significant controversy. In this speech, Bloomberg applies the strategy of rhetoric in his speech as a way of convincing the public. He thus used the rhetoric of argument to articulate his message of freedom through tolerance to a crowd otherwise bound by fear and mistrust. He states, "Of all our precious freedoms the most important may be ... to worship as we wish," (Bloomberg). He further used an analogy to invite the public to gain a better sense of the situation. He referred to the mosque as a 'test of the separation of the church and state," imploring the public not to enforce a predominantly Christian idea but remain open-minded and accommodative of Muslims among them.

Conclusion

Conclusively, In the speech, Bloomberg makes a remarkably wise appeal to the audience through ethos, pathos, and logos in expressing that the 9/11 attack was indeed non-religious and that the group of Muslims that had been worshipping even just two blocks away from Ground Zero would be able to continue with their worship. Principally, he reminded his audience that as religious leaders, American citizens and residents of New York they had to play the role of promoting liberty and freedom of worship. Through his action, he was also establishing that he was a true leader and custodian of New York City and its affairs. He does so by getting the public to consider that the city was founded on the basis of coexistence and tolerance. Further, he appeals to the audience's emotion by explaining to them that their role as religious leaders was appreciated and it was only rightful to distance religion from outright acts of terror such as that in the attack. The move to support the renovation of the mosque at Ground Zero was, however, part of the steps that would necessitate reconciliation with the Muslim community.

Work Cited

Bloomberg, Michael. "Address in Support of Religious Tolerance and New York City Mosque." American Rhetoric. Retrieved from https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/michaelbloombergdefenseofnymosque.htm Accessed 5th Feb 2019.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Essay

What was the main purpose of Mayor Bloomberg's speech?

Mayor Bloomberg's main aim in his speech was to foster cohesion, tolerance, and social liberty by asserting that the 9/11 attack was nonreligious while supporting Muslim worship services near Ground Zero.

How did Mayor Bloomberg appeal to logos in his speech?

Mayor Bloomberg turned to logos by explaining how 9/11 had affected society post-9/11. He acknowledged the possibility of peace even in its wake and noted the significance of religious freedom for all minority faiths, not simply Muslims.

How did Mayor Bloomberg appeal to pathos in his speech?

Mayor Bloomberg was successful at striking an emotional chord by understanding and reflecting upon the emotions of both audience members and members of the public. He strongly condemned terrorist acts as being committed by "murderous criminals", distancing themselves from religion while emphasizing that these attacks were an act of mass murder. Furthermore, he expressed his thanks and appreciation to religious leaders who contributed significantly to New York City.