Statue of Liberty is Muslim
Those agitated by what Bill O’Reilly of Fox News calls “The Dramatic Muslim Invasion” may find a soothing tonic in the history of the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was modeled on a Muslim woman.
Our uniquely American icon beckoning the world’s refugees and immigrants to freedom on our shores was designed as a representation of an Egyptian peasant woman.
As we confront the largest refugee crisis since WWII, which we helped create by invading Iraq and providing battlefield experience to al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI, the parent of ISIS), it may be wise to remind ourselves of the origin of the Statue of Liberty.
The statue, proposed as a gift to Egypt to commemorate the 1869 completion of the Suez Canal, was conceived and designed by two Frenchmen, including Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower, as a colossal monument to the industrial achievement. After Egypt rejected the plan, the gift was offered to America as “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Erected in 1886, it stands as a beacon for a nation founded on principles transcending national origin, racial identity and religious affiliation.
Check out the Smithsonian.com article: “The Statue of Liberty Was Originally a Muslim Woman.”
David Broadwater, Atascadero
This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Statue of Liberty is Muslim."