It now looks as if both of the planned memorials for 9/11 (the International Freedom Center in Manhattan and the “Crescent of Embrace” in Pennsylvania) will be monumental insults: Design for Flight 93 memorial chosen.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The heroic struggle by airline passengers who thwarted a terror attack on the nation’s capital on Sept. 11, 2001, will be commemorated in a 2,000-acre memorial site that includes a chapel with metallic wind chimes.

The “Crescent of Embrace” memorial, created by a team of designers led by Paul Murdoch Architects of Los Angeles, was chosen Wednesday by the Flight 93 Advisory Commission. The aim of the one-year competition was to honor the 40 passengers and crew who died after their plane was hijacked and crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania.

And to honor the passengers and crew, these architects have chosen to create a memorial based on the religious symbol of the hijackers.

UPDATE at 9/11/05 3:45:40 pm:

For those who are trying to argue that this design is a pure coincidence, please note the following from the Pennsylvania Post-Gazette, revealing that the jury members knew in advance that this issue might come up, and recommended changing the name to avoid controversy: Flight 93 memorial decried as Islam symbol.

The jurors recognized there could be some backlash because of the crescent. That’s why, in their recommendations, they wrote: “Consider the interpretation and impact of words within the context of this event. The crescent should be referred to as ‘the circle or arc,’ or other words that are not tied to specific religious iconography.”