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New York Islamic Center Debate Intensifies; Radical Sheik in Jamaica
Aired September 11, 2010 - 14:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The National Parks Service has been collecting oral histories with a direction connection to flight 93, and that includes a group of students attending classes near the crash site. They came together for the first time to share what they saw and heard and felt. Josh Levs has that.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, over all these years, we've heard so many stories from people who were affected directly or were right near the attacks of 9/11, but virtually none of us have heard this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember just watching and hearing about the Pentagon, and the next thing you know, I remember somebody saying, oh, nothing like this will happen here. It was about the time I began to write the word, "democracy." I remember what rod I was writing, what I was doing. That's when ever the school shook.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: This is put together by the National Parks Service, and they interviewed a whole bunch of students. And the school is right near where this happened. We pulled out some clips of what students say thin this video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember watching the TV and watching the World Trade Towers being hit and thinking, this can't be happening here. This is America. This happens in other places, we're untouchable. Just that sense of security being robbed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I remember one of the teachers coming in, telling us to turn on the news. And we were watching what was going on in New York when we felt the shock wave from this plane crash. And one of my classmates pointed out the window and said, "Look!" And you could see the smoke cloud.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When it happened, it was -- I don't even know. A big fire ball shook the building. It scared me to see my classmates underneath desks and taking cover, like what's going to fall from the sky next.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My last day could have been that day if that plane would have crashed during school. You never know. You can't play god.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before September 11th, nothing like that had ever happened. It's just something that changes everything, I think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They were kids, now; we're seeing them almost nine years later. Just a reminder that there are still untold stories out there. We have an ireporter here, lets take a look at these photos this is from ireporter in New York, Beth Alice, who after all these years, has decided for the first time to take out her own photos. She was in New York at the time of the attacks at the World Trade Center and never wanted to look at the photos, never wanted to face them before. She has decided that now is the time for her to share. She has now put her photos on ireport.com. We encourage you to share your stories even all these years later at ireport.com. So Fred it is just a sign, still a lot to learn about those in our own country who were affected by it.
WHITFIELD: Yes, powerful images and powerful sounds coming from those young adults now. They were in elementary school when that took place near their school in Shanksville, right? So now, they're either in high school --
LEVS: They could be in college, a little past college right now.
WHITFIELD: Extraordinary. Those are obviously indelible moments for them that will live with them forever. All right. Josh thanks for bringing us that.
All right. Let's take a look at the head lines right now. Memorials for the victims of 9/11 attacks, President Obama spoke at the Pentagon this morning. We'll have much more on memorials in just a moment.
Meantime, residents still are not being allowed back into the California neighborhood two days after a natural gas explosion devastated the area. Four people are dead. We will take you there live, for more on the investigation.
An American hiker remains in an Iranian prison even though she was supposed to be released today. Iranian prosecutors now say the process was not complete. Sarah Shourd (ph) and two others have been held there for more than a year.
The ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was the focal point today for new debate over plans to build an Islamic center near ground zero. Demonstrators on both sides of the controversy held rallies today in New York. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is there to give you an idea of the turnout for both pro and against.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It looks like it's going to be a very big turnout Fred. As a matter of fact the best way to describe both sides in this controversy is passionate. Now just now, we have some video of the people who are for in favor of the construction of the proposed Islamic Center and Mosque. That's because it got started a little bit earlier than those who are against it. So you'll see some of that rally now.
About a half a block away from that rally, just now getting under way will be the rally again of those who oppose it, who argue that because some of the terrorists who were behind the 9/11 attacks are extremists, they feel very uncomfortable that an Islamic Center should be built just a few blocks away from ground zero. Now police commissioner Ray Kelly says that they are keeping both sides a safe distance from each other.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: Our goal is to make certain that demonstrations are peaceful. That people can voice their opinions in a peaceful manner. We want to keep opposing groups apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, as soon as that protest rally gets underway, we'll be able to bring you back some sound from what some of the people are saying there, but before it got started, we were able to talk with one of the people who is attending it. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: Believe that my constitution has been hijacked. I do not believe that all Muslims are terrorists; I believe that these groups of Muslims are terrorists and that's why I'm here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: On the other hand, those who say that the Islamic Center should be built also feel very passionately. This is how one man summed up his feelings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think these solemn days should not be used to whip up racism. We should not forget that it was after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in World War II, that that same kind of bigotry was brought up to in turn hundreds of thousands of Japanese in California. So that is something that we want to struggle against.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: It's pretty clear that as we said earlier, passions are running high on both sides. Whether they will be able to find some common ground seems very unclear at this point. Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Susan Candiotti thanks so much. Whether it's the debate over this proposed Islamic site or perhaps the case of a New York cabbie who gets his throat slashed after allegedly being asked if he is Muslim, mosque or mosque like construction sites have been vandalized in several states in the past few months.
So this graph, take a look right here has been compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center and it shows how anti-Muslim hate crimes actually spiked in 2001, right after 9/11, yet have never really faded away completely. Mark Potok, is with the Southern Poverty Law Center, he is joining us now from Montgomery, Alabama. So Mark good to see you.
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Thanks for having me.
WHITFIELD: We saw the big spike of anti-Islamic crimes and sentiment after 9/11. Are we beginning to see a second spike now? If so, why?
MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Well, we can't prove it because the statistics aren't anywhere near coming in yet, but as antidotal manner, I don't think there's any question at all. But that is what we are seeing.
Exactly how profound that spike's going to be, we really don't know. I think it's worth pointing out, that that graph, one of the more interesting things that that graph shows is not only this massive spike in 2001, a 1700 percent spike up, but then subsequently, a very rapid decline by about two-thirds the following year, just three and a half months later. I would attribute that very largely to the speeches that were given by President Bush at the time which called very proactively for people not to regard our enemies as Muslims or as Arabs, but as a very specific terrorist network al Qaida.
WHITFIELD: So as you continue to watch the behavior and the dialog, the activity as it pertains to any kind of anti-Muslim activity, if there's a point in which you started noticing an up tick in recent years, months, etc, when would that be, what would be the occasion that in your view, might have helped provoke an increase in the sentiment?
POTOK: Well, the first sign of this kind of backlash, which was quite unexpected by us as well as I think by Muslims in general, was the fire bombing of an occupied Islamic center in Jacksonville back in May. Since then, of course or the after math of that we started to hear an awful lot from particular groups like the Stop Islamization of America in New York around the ground zero controversy.
Then, I think things really reached a kind of fever pitch when we had certain politicians like Newt Gingrich for instance making comparisons between Muslims and Nazis. And around the same time we had another group called the National Republican Trust Political Action Committee running ads saying that the Islamic Center would be a celebration of the murders of 3,000 people quote unquote. That I think is when things began to turn white hot.
WHITFIELD: So, how do you monitor this sentiment and where? Is it as simple as public forums as you mentioned Newt Gingerich speaking or crimes such as in Jacksonville, how do you collect all this data and then compile it and what then do you do with this data?
POTOK: Well, I mean, look. It's essentially antidotal data. So what we're really looking at is newspaper stories, we are listening to what politicians say, we are looking at the Internet. The tone of the postings on quite mainstream sites. Newspaper sites and so on. I think in all of those different areas, you see this. But it really, I think, is quite impossible to quantify in any serious way until we get hate crime statistics and that won't be for another year and a half and even those statistics are merely suggestive rather than being precise or very accurate.
WHITFIELD: So if May was perhaps one of those moments in recent time, months, years, that you're noticing this activity, are you getting to a point where you're concerned that it might be on the increase as opposed to leveling off? Is there something you're seeing in the behavior, the rhetoric that tells you we are on the brink of a significant problem?
POTOK: Well, I suspect that we're not on the brink of a significant problem. I think it's already developing. We will see if what we believe we're seeing turns out to be reflected in real statistics. But I think that quite clearly, the numbers will go up. And there's been an enormous amount of attention paid to this.
I mean I think one of the interesting things about the graph that was on your screen is it shows how not only did hate crimes drop off after the president at the time, President Bush, gave these speeches, but that decline in anti-Muslim hate crime continued for most of the last nine years. It just went down, down, down, down and seemed to be fading away. And it's also worth pointing out that prior to 9/11; there was almost no anti-Muslim hate crime in this country, at least in terms of reported crimes. This really, I think, quite blind sided not only us, but the Muslim community in the United States.
WHITFIELD: Mark, quickly do you suppose this kind of information that your organization is able to gather will help national intelligence agencies then compile information they're getting from their resources and perhaps potentially prevent this fervor from getting any worse?
POTOK: Well, I don't think that intelligence or police agencies can do much to prevent this kind of thing. We don't live in a policed state by and large, obviously. I do think that probably the more important role to be played is by leaders, by politicians, faith leaders and so on. We've seen some of that, but I think we have not really seen enough, particularly from the Republican Party or the right wing of the Republican Party, parts of which have been very much a part of pouring gasoline on this fire.
WHITFIELD: Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center thanks so much for joining us from Montgomery, Alabama. Good to see you.
POTOK: Thanks for having me.
WHITFIELD: So, it's been exactly nine years since the 9/11attacks and ceremonies are being held across the country to mark the anniversary. In New York this morning at a park near ground zero, 9/11 family members teamed up with those building the new memorial there and together, they read aloud the names of the 2,752 people killed tragically on this day nine years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: And my father -- UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: I am proud to represent the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, helping to build the 9/11 memorial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Moments of silence were observed at the time when the planes hit the towers and again when the towers fell. At next year's anniversary, a new ground zero memorial is set to open. It will include six sky scrapers, a museum, and two waterfalls and the foot prints of the twin towers.
And remembrance ceremonies were also held today in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. President Barack Obama attended the Pentagon service along with defense secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen. The ceremony was open only to family members of the victims. President Obama laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial there and made a plea for religious tolerance and unity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: The perpetrators of this evil act didn't simply attack America. They attacked the very idea of America itself. All that we stand for and represent in the world. So the highest honor we can pay those we lost, our greatest weapon in this ongoing war, is to do what our adversaries fear the most. Stay true to who we are as Americans. To renew our sense of common purpose. To say that we define the character of our country and we will not let the acts of some small band of murders who slaughter the innocent and cower in caves distort who we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The first lady attended the 9/11 ceremony in Pennsylvania, Michelle Obama along with former first lady Laura Bush, led a commemoration for the 40 people killed on flight 93. That plane crashed into a rural field as passengers and crew fought the hijackers who were planning to attack the U.S. Capitol. The first lady hailed the victims as true heroes who inspired a nation and Laura Bush also thanked them for helping the country heel after the attack.
The on again off again Koran burning is now off. Pastor Terry Jones of Florida, at the center of this controversy says his church will never stage such an event.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can guarantee us today that there will never be a burning of the Koran at your church?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can absolutely guarantee you that, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: I talked with a group of international journalists about how that story has been playing outside this country. You'll hear our full discussion next hour, but for now, here's a quick peak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, it's a domino effect, you're saying. Had there been no coverage perhaps in the United States, then perhaps there wouldn't have been a ripple effect of this being covered in any other country.
ANNA KEROENSTAM, TV4 SWWEDEN: The discussion around it is an important story because it's an alarm for us all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: We'll hear more of their discussion in the 4:00 Eastern Hour. Hope you join us for that.
All right. Checking to see if it's safe. Investigators are taking a closer look at the neighborhood devastated by a natural gas explosion. We'll take you there live, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Investigating the cause of that massive explosion and fire that devastated a San Bruno, California neighborhood. A short time ago, we learned that two people are still unaccounted for. CNNs Dan Simon in San Bruno with the latest on the investigation and what we're hearing from area officials there. Dan.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well hi Fred. Authorities now fearing that six people lost their lives during that explosion. As you said, two people still unaccounted for. Let me tell you where we are, we are in the parking lot of a shopping center. Behind me, you can see, this is something that just kind of popped up here in the last few hours. People in the community dropping by clothes and food for people who lost their homes in that fire. Somebody dropped off some DVDs here and things of that nature.
Let me also tell you Fred about where things stand with the investigation. There was a news conference just a short time ago and the president of Pacific Gas and Electric was there and one of the things we asked him about was have they been able to go through their records and determine if in fact there was a problem with that natural gas line. As we have been reporting some people have said that they detected the smell of gas in the days before the explosion and the PG&E official, what he told us was they've been going through their phone records and they have gone through about two thirds of their phone records and as of now, they have not been able to ascertain if in fact they've responded to the scene.
That of course is something that residents want to know. Did PG&E, were they aware that there was a problem with this gas line and what actions did they take, if any actions at all. Those are the answers we're trying to come up with, but so far, PG&E not providing that answer.
Fred.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right. Dan thanks so much. We'll check back with you as this story progresses.
Meantime, this explosion raises a lot of question about the massive network of natural gas pipelines throughout the country. It stretches more than 2 million miles. CNNs Brian Todd has more on the safety of those pipelines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're talking about the overall safety of natural gas in the United States in the wake of that explosion in California. We're here at a natural gas facility that was not involved in any way in that explosion. So we are not going to say the name of this facility. And I'm joined here by Rick Kessler; he is with the Pipeline Safety Trust a non profit organization that monitors over all pipeline safety of natural gas and other hazardous liquids that go through pipelines.
I guess Rick, first of all, the question a lot of people are asking in the wake of California, is can that kind of thing happen anywhere in America?
RICK KESSLER, PIPELINE SAFETY TRUST: Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Only about 7 percent of pipeline mileage in this country is required to be inspected by law. These things can be in your backyard because houses get built around and on top of them. Sometimes with the energy in this country, they get built behind houses, but yes, it happens.
TODD: And often, people move into neighborhoods and they don't know that these pipelines are right near their house.
KESSLER: That's right. Which is why we're pushing for right to know about where these pipelines are, their inspection records, what they've done to fix them.
TODD: What are the most common causes of explosions like the one in San Bruno, California?
KESSLER: Lot of times, it is third party damage. Which means it is not the operator's fault, it is someone digging and that's why you have to call before you dig laws. But also, it could be corrosion, whether external from the soil or water or internal from the gas itself, it can be bad seams, any number of things.
TODD: Is the oversight of these facilities what it should be in this country?
KESSLER: Absolutely not. Because the agency is under funded, it is undermanned, it is governed by a very weak law and there's a culture there, while it's gotten better and there's some very good people really trying to make it work, it's got a long way to go and was in a really bad place ten years ago and it has only pulled itself slightly up since then.
TODD: All right. Rick thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate it. KESSLER: Thank you.
TODD: That agency that Rick mentioned is the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration that is a branch of the Department of Transportation. We've been trying for quite a while to get some response to the concerns raised by Rick and other experts. We haven't gotten specific response to those concerns. What they did was issue an e-mail not to long ago saying that every state except for Hawaii and Alaska is certified to conduct their own inspection and enforcement of these pipelines. The agency did say they were working on getting a response to some of those other concerns that were not able to get to us in time for this report.
The American Gas Association, this is a group that advocates for businesses that pipe natural gas, issued a statement saying that safety is their number one priority and that natural gas facilities are subject to not only their only stringent internal controls but also have to meet rigorous federal and state oversight to ensure that natural gas is delivered safely.
Brian Todd, CNN, from a natural gas facility near Washington.
WHITFIELD: And after years of delay, work is getting underway in earnest for permanent memorials to the victims of 9/11. We'll take a look at what's in store for all three sites when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. We're going to take you to lower Manhattan on this nine-year anniversary, where earlier today, somber ceremonies taking place commemorating the lives lost on 9/11 nine years ago. And now take a look at what is taking place just a few blocks away from ground zero, heated exchanges between those for and those against a proposed Islamic Center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The right to bully people out of here -- you're trying to bully them out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stand up and --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, give them the right to build.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be quiet! It's over!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go to worship and call the --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tyranny of the majority. People like you can't bully them from having their own beliefs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have the right to build it --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they have a right, they have a right and it's the end of conversation. End of conversation! They have a first amendment right, period! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't understand what that's going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just said you believe in the constitution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do believe in the constitution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just said you don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, today's 9/11 memorial at ground zero takes place against a quickly changing backdrop. Workers are rushing to complete a permanent memorial before next years tenth anniversary. Permanent memorials are being built at all three 9/11 sites. And Josh Levs joins us now with details on that. Josh.
LEVS: Yes, you know Fred, throughout the years since 9/11; we have heard so many different plans and ideas of what would become of that block of land back there. Now, we know. And a lot is finally happening and a lot will be in place by next year.
Let's go to some video, which is a layout of what's planned. The official website of Port Authority links to this video. The plan includes five new skyscrapers, a national September 11th memorial and museum, a transportation hub, a retail complex, and a performing arts center right there. In the central tower which we hear about a lot at the World Trade Center will rise 1,076 feet. Port authorities say it will redefine the New York skyline, reasserting downtown Manhattan the eminent as a business center, while establishing a new architectural icon for the country. It will be the tallest building in the United States.
All right. Let's go to the next video now. Because we have here the void where the building stood, where the World Trade Center towers were, they're now going to be massive waterfalls leading into memorial pools with the names of all the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 9/11 attacks and in the Trade Center bombing back in 1993, now inscribed there. Each of these pools is going to be an acre in size and the memorial plaza in that area will have 400 trees across eight acres. So that's a little taste at what's ahead at that site.
Now, let's look at the memorial at the Pentagon, too. This is interesting. There are 184 bench-like structures. Each one is dedicated to one of the victims from that day. There's one big concrete wall that rises up it begins at just three inches, representing a 3-year-old girl Dana Falkenberg who was killed there. And it continues to a height of 71 inches, representing the oldest, that was retired Navy Captain John D. Yamnicky, Sr. And, well, for people who are killed there.
Finally, let's take a look at Shanksville, because what's happening with Shanksville is interesting. You have some people who have been really frustrated that it's still basically a plot of land, but some who are actually saying -- you know what, they're just happy about what's planned for next year.
I have a picture for you that's going to show you the construction that was going on this summer. You can see the area there where the plane crashed and they're building something around it.
And let's go to the next picture. This is from the National Parks Service and it's a rendering. It's showing what it is supposed to be up by next year, for the 10th anniversary. It's a wall, part of what will be memorial plaza there. And in that picture, it sure looks beautiful.
Still a lot of people saying it's just a start, but it is indeed a pretty impressive start, if indeed it looks that good. That's the goal for next year for the 10th anniversary.
So, what we're seeing nine years later, Fred, is that there's still a lot of work being done on two of these sites, but the work is being done. You have a consensus in this place, saying, yes, it will be a year from now at Ground Zero and also over at Shanksville there.
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh, thanks so much.
LEVS: You bet.
WHITFIELD: Also, straight ahead, there's been a lot of discussion about tolerance. We had an interesting roundtable discussion about that nine years after 9/11.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The fate of the planned Islamic center and mosque in New York is still up in the air. And reaction to the plan has been, shall we say, intense and it shows no signs of quieting down.
In our last hour, I talked with Muslims of varying opinions on that center.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUSSEIN RASHID, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY: I don't want to be against anybody. I want to be for the Constitution. And I think I agree with Melody on this. There is a constitutional and moral right for that center to be there. There is a community there of Muslims and non- Muslims that needs to be serviced and that this project, Park 51, is an attempt to be a community center to do that.
My issues is that I don't think that the Park 51 team has done a very good job in reaching out and explaining what it is they're trying to do. That they haven't done a very good job in presenting their needs assessment and they haven't done a very good in building the support in Lower Manhattan for both Muslims and non-Muslims to get behind the project.
WHITFIELD: OK.
RASHID: And I think it's dangerous to say that just because I support the constitutional right and I support moral right, means that I also support the center. I those are two separate issues.
WHITFIELD: So, Melody, is there Islamaphobia? And if so, at what point did that flame get sparked here in this country?
MELODY MOEZZI, AUTHOR, "WAR ON TERROR": Certainly, there's Islamaphobia. That's the reason --
AHMED EL-MAHDAWY, CHMN. & FOUNDER, HODA ISLAMIC CTR.: Well, can I --
MOEZZI: -- I wrote my first book.
WHITFIELD: Let me let Melody have her moment here and then I'll get to you in a second.
MOEZZI: I would agree that there's Islamaphobia. But as I said before, I think Americans really are smart and I think, through education, they can learn and rise above it. I have traveled all over this country, speaking at universities, churches, synagogues, all over the place, and I can tell you just when people learn and meet different Muslims and see that we don't look like you think we look, we don't sound like you think we sound, and that we are Americans, that they have different perceptions.
So, I think Americans, we will get past this. Right now, you know, there were periods of times, like I said, that we discriminated against a lot of other groups and we have gotten past that. Unfortunately, Muslims gave a lot of other people -- are still subject to a lot of discrimination in this country and I, as a young person, am hoping at some point that will end.
WHITFIELD: So, Ahmed, I know you wanted to get a word in. Let me allow you to express your thoughts right now. And at the same time, at the end of Ramadan here, we're hearing from a number of Muslims in this country who are saying they are reticent, they are a bit afraid to even acknowledge the rituals of their religion right now openly because they are afraid that they are going to be targeted as a result of this Islamaphobia. Can you comment on that as well?
EL-MAHDAWY: Yes. America is the greatest land, the greatest system that man has ever created on earth. We shall preserve that.
And the fear in the hearts of Muslims is not fear for their safety because the society is very safe. It is the fact that we are sliding with some politicians taking advantage of the discussion between the right and the left, to develop extremists. And we are against extremists -- as President Obama said, we are not in war with Islam. We are not in war with Muslims. We are in war with the people that killed our people on 9/11.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, weather-wise. It is the peak of hurricane season and the tropics are getting busy. Jacqui Jeras will be along, when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.
Two people are still unaccounted for in that San Bruno, California neighborhood fire damaged badly by that natural gas explosion. Four deaths have been confirmed. Investigators are still checking homes in the area to make sure that they are safe. Officials say it will be a couple of days more before people will be allowed back in.
And a massive manhunt is underway in northern Mexico after 85 inmates climbed over a prison wall. The prison is just across the border from McAllen, Texas. A Mexican news agency is reporting that two guards are also missing. Forty-four other guards were detained on suspicion of corruption.
And a Kansas City man is facing multiple charges for hijacking a city bus and then leading police on a chase throughout downtown. The driver and passengers got off the bus before the suspect drove away. "The Kansas City Star" reports the man is charged with burglary, robbery and alluding a police officer. He was arrested after the bus crashed and then caught fire.
All right. Let's check in with our Jacqui Jeras.
We're in peak hurricane season now. There's been a whole lot of activity bubbling out in the Atlantic for the past couple of weeks but particularly, right now.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. You know, yesterday was climatological peak, September 10th. And so, you know, we're at that height. And the good news is we're at the height, I guess, right? That we're going to go down from here.
WHITFIELD: Oh, I see.
JERAS: Right? Glass half full, Fredricka.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Always.
JERAS: We've got three systems that we're watching. OK, only one has a name right now and that is Igor. And we'll tell you about that one first because this is a very strong system and it's moving towards the west. It's out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean right now, days away from impacting any land. So, we got a little bit of time here in terms of preparation.
But it's very likely that it is going to be become a hurricane. The winds right now is 70 miles per hour. So, we just have to increase a little bit more and you can see that we're trying to get a little eye developing here in the center of that storm as well. So, maybe a sign that we're intensifying a little bit, that could happen at the 5:00 advisory.
Also notice here, coming off the coast of Africa, that's our latest tropical wave, and there's a medium chance, about 30 percent chance that this is going to develop into our next tropical depression in the next 24 to 48 hours or so. And that one is going to be a long ways away.
But more concerning is what's happening here in the Caribbean. Take a look at this, into the eastern Caribbean Sea. You're getting hit with heavy thundershowers today in San Juan and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is a tropical wave, but this will very likely become a tropical depression in the next 24 hours or so, and that will be our next named storm, we think. And we're a little concerned with the easterly track on that one.
All right. The rest of the weather across the U.S., we're dealing with showers and thundershowers, and things have really been popping up across parts of the Deep South. Not a lot of severe weather anticipated, but there's been a lot of lightning with these thunderstorms. So, keep that in mind as you have your outdoor plan this afternoon, and in the evening hours, that we can get some very heavy downpours and some problems as a result of that.
High pressure is going to start to push that front to the east by tomorrow. So, most of your plans should be later in the day because we'll see those showers and thundershowers up and down the East Coast, especially early in the day and we do expect a little travel trouble into parts of the Northeast.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, always in time for the new workweek, right?
JERAS: Of course.
WHITFIELD: That's usually the way it goes.
JERAS: Yes. Sunday is a busy travel day.
WHITFIELD: It is. It is. And it also seems to be something kind of hairy out there to make it look complicated for folks.
JERAS: Sure.
WHITFIELD: But glass half full. Things will look up.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.
All right. Well, it's not a country we often associate with terrorism. Straight ahead: why counterterrorism officials are paying close attention to a sheik in Jamaica.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. There have been nearly 2,000 homicides in Juarez, Mexico, so far this year. But several times a week, a 74- year-old grandmother drives into the murder capital of the world to the hospital she started more than 30 years ago. Despite threats and violent crime, this week's CNN hero is determined to help the people of Juarez receive the care they need. Meet Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUADALUPE ARIZPE DE LA VEGA, MEDICAL MARVEL: Juarez was a very nice place. And now, nobody can go out. In one weekend, 51 were killed. This moment of crisis, people have to have a secure place where healing goes on.
My name is Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega. I started the Hospital De La Familia, and it's in downtown Juarez.
I go to Juarez sometimes, five times in a week. We have been working there for 37 years with the community. Every day, we have from 800 to 1,000 people. Some of them can pay, some of them cannot pay, but we don't turn anybody away.
I want the violence to stop. Everybody's affected. People have become paralyzed by the fear.
Our hospital has not been touched. Our doctors have not been kidnapped. This is a miracle of God, believe me, and everybody knows that's a place for healing, for loving, for empowering people.
I believe that health is the most important of the human rights. Life is all about empowering people, and it's very important to have an institution giving them hope for the future.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Wow. She's a beautiful lady.
Guadalupe's hospital treats an average of 900 patients a day, whether they can pay or not. To see how the hospital has grown into a facility that's delivered more than 100,000 babies or help Guadalupe expand health care in Mexico, go to CNNHeroes.com.
All right. Jamaica, and think beaches, balmy breezes and great music, right? Now think the Jamaican jihadist. Terror experts say his followers already have struck and are sure to strike again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: During 9/11 ceremonies today at the Pentagon, President Obama told the gathering that America is not at war with Islam but with what he called a sorry band of men known as al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They may seek to spark conflict between different faiths, but as Americans, we are not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was al Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion. And just as we condemn intolerance and extremism abroad, so will we stay true to our traditions here at home as a diverse and tolerant nation. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: One hundred eighty-four were killed in the attack on the Pentagon.
A radical sheik in -- of all places -- Jamaica is a big worry in the fight against terrorism. He has been called the "hate cleric," telling young Muslim men the way forward is the bullet, not the ballot. Counterterrorism officials fear in Jamaica he's too close for comfort.
CNN's Drew Griffin traveled to the Caribbean island to meet the cleric.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We came to meet the radical Islamic preacher known as "the Jamaican" on his own turf. And up a winding road into the Jamaican hillside we climbed --
(on camera): So, we think this is it.
(voice-over): -- where Sheik Abdullah al-Faisal invited us. In an interview he said to clear his name from an awful past.
(on camera): Hello?
(voice-over): But we quickly learned, Sheik al-Faisal had told us a lie.
(on camera): Is the sheik in?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
GRIFFIN: Can you tell us where he is?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not here.
GRIFFIN: Not here yet? He's not back from Kingston?
(voice-over): Faisal, it turned out, had lured CNN to his island as part of a shakedown. CNN does not pay for interviews. The sheikh was asking for $15,000 just to talk.
(on camera): Why are you charging us so much money just to talk to you?
(voice-over): Most recently arrested in Kenya, authorities say this 46-year-old Jamaican was encouraging young Muslims to fight in Somalia. His arrest sparked riots, leading to five dead and leading Kenya to deport al-Faisal back to his native Jamaica.
U.S. intelligence officials and Jamaica's justice ministry tell CNN they are carefully watching. The Caribbean and its poverty has long been thought to be a potential new home for a terrorist message and the sheik has never stopped preaching through Internet chat rooms and sending out tapes.
(on camera): The fear is that even isolated down that road in a home that this Islamic scholar, this preacher of radical Islam could have an effect on the population here, gather a following, and perhaps influence others to follow the paths of the terrorists who have followed him.
(voice-over): It's the reason we came to this island to interview al- Faisal. Invited by the sheik himself who promised he'd explain himself once we arrived. When we did, his new agent explained to us there would be no interview unless we paid $15,000.
CNN does not pay for any interviews. During three telephone conversations and one face-to-face meeting, the sheik did try to explain how he was misinterpreted when he said Muslims should fight and kill Jews, Christians, Americans and Hindus.
"That was the old sheik," he told me. "I have reformed since then."
(on camera): I'm just asking you: do you feel any guilt that these men listened to you and then went out and tried to kill people and some of them did kill people? They listen to many clerics? Do you feel any guilt that they listened to you?
I'm asking you a question. So you -- you will not answer that question right now.
He just hung up. He says he won't do the interview -- he won't do the interview unless he gets paid, period. And he won't answer that question.
(voice-over): There may be good reason the sheik needs to be paid. He's economically and even socially isolated here. The vast majority of Jamaicans are Christian -- a religion the sheik calls paganism. The Islamic council will not allow the sheik to preach in any of Jamaica's dozen or so mosques until he denounces his radical teachings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have not spoken to him, not even for a minute since his return to Jamaica.
GRIFFIN: But that has not stopped the sheik from preaching in homes around Jamaica, gathering followers and especially over the Internet. Listen to this.
SHEIK ABDULLAH AL-FAISAL, THE HATE CLERIC: My God is not Obama. My Deen is Islam. And our Sharia, it would rule America.
GRIFFIN: It is the sheik in an Internet forum at the end of July titled "The Battle of Washington." He declares Sharia law will one day rule this country if Muslims make sacrifices.
AL-FAISAL: And if we want that White House and we desire to conquer that White House, we need to be people who suffer hardship. I believe it is a matter of time when we will see the emir established within the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. That was Drew Griffin reporting.
Of course, you can watch his hour-long special "BIN LADEN'S NEW JIHADISTS." That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern Time.
