Jul 27, 2011

By Michael Winter, USA TODAY

A crane lowered the so-called World Trade Center cross into the
under-construction National September 11 Memorial and Museum on
Saturday, July 23. The cross-shaped girders were salvaged from the
wreckage of the twin towers two days after the 2001 terror attacks.

Atheists have sued to prevent cross-shaped steel girders from the
destroyed World Trade Center towers from being included in the official
Sept. 11 memorial, saying the religious symbol is unconstitutional
because its gives "preferential representation" to Christians who died
in the 2001 terror attacks.

Workers found the broken, 17-foot-tall cross-shaped beams two days after
the attacks, and they became known as the "World Trade Center cross."
Saturday, the rusted cross was moved from its temporary home near St.
Peter's Church and lowered into its permanent place inside the museum,
which is under construction. A Catholic priest gave it a ceremonial
blessing.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday on behalf of four members of American
Atheists, argues that including the Roman Christian-style cross at the
National September 11th Memorial and Museum violates the First and
Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the New York
State Constitution.

"Many of American Atheists' members have seen the cross, either in
person or on television, and are being subjected to and injured in
consequence of having a religious tradition not their own imposed upon
them through the power of the state," the complaint (pdf) states. If the
cross is not removed, the group wants a non-religious exhibit included.

According to the lawsuit, among the 2,792 people killed in the twin
towers, 31 were Muslim Americans, approximately 400 to 500 were Jewish
Americans, approximately 500 were non-religious Americans, and an
unknown number were Americans of other faiths.

In a statement to ABCNews, the memorial foundation identified the cross
as a "symbol of spiritual comfort for the thousands of recovery workers
who toiled at ground zero," as well as an "authentic physical reminder"
that "tell[s] the story of 9/11 in a way nothing else can."

In its press release, American Atheists notes, "No other religions or
philosophies will be honored."

     We love this country, and our constitution. We honor the dead and
respect the families, which is why we will not allow the many Christians
who died get preferential representation over the many non-Christians
who suffered the same fate. This was an attack against America, not
Christianity, and Christianity's does not deserve special placement just
because the girders look like their religious symbol.

     We will pay for our own memorial of equal size inside the museum,
or the museum will not include the cross. Equality is an all-or-nothing
deal.

According to the complaint, two of the four plaintiffs were raised in
"the Jewish tradition" and one has a "Catholic background." The fourth
is the brother of a Marine reservist who did rescue work for two weeks
after the attacks and died in 2005 of "weakened lung syndrome." He
opposes a cross unless it is a Lutheran cross.

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