A10 The World europe from A1


tions,” said Rolf-Dieter Heuer, CERN’s director general. The pressure on European sci-


ence, observers here say, is yet another legacy of the financial crisis. Nations that overextended themselves in the past decade, taking on more and more debt, are now facing liabilities so large that politicians in a growing number of European countries have decided that dramatic cuts in public spending are the only answer. That stands in sharp con- trast to the United States, where government spending — includ- ing on science and technology — continues to steam ahead despite the recordU.S. deficit. Some here fear that Europe


could fall behind in the highly competitive world of scientific research, where itnowgoes head- to-head with the United States and Japan. The new coalition government


in Britain, European science offi- cials say, is leading the austerity charge, but other nations includ- ing Italy and Spain are also warn- ing of empty pockets curbing their contributions to science. Britain, for instance, has said it


may not be ready to commit in December to funding for a sec- ond, far more powerful European telescope on a mountaintop in Chile that could discern atmo- spheres on incredibly distant planets. Science officials warn that domestic cuts in Britain set to be laid out in October might also force the temporary closure of one of two high-tech national facilities near Oxford — the Dia- mondLight Source particle accel- erator or the Isis neutron source. To maintain programs at the European Space Agency, Germa- ny — which has vigorously pro- tected science and technology spending at home — is stepping in to cover shortfalls from other nations, such as Spain. But even so, the space agency is set to cut internal and administrative costs by 25 percent to cope with fiscal pressures and is waiting to see whether European governments will agree to new funding to help sustain the international space station until at least 2020. Meanwhile, the European Syn-


ADRIAN MOSER/BLOOMBERG NEWS


Aemployee works on the LargeHadron Collider particle accelerator at the European Organization for Nuclear Research nearGeneva. Fiscal concerns are forcing the mothballing of the project in 2012.


chrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France — where re- searchers used X-ray fluores- cence to illuminate the genius of LeonardodaVinci’s brush strokes and to study the skulls of ancient hominids — has been asked by government donors to assess the impact of potentially sharp cuts to its annual budget. “We are all impacted,weare all


living on the same planet as our member states,” said Jean- Jacques Dordain, the space agen- cy’s director general. “And we cannot ignore that most of our member states now have budget constraints.” For years, science research in


Europe has been somewhat of a sacredcow—anarea inwhichthe zeal to pioneer knowledge for commercial and academic gain spawned jointly funded mega- projects. Indeed, science officials here say they see the current fiscal pressures as temporary, with European governments re- maining strongly committed to long-term research. But the pain of austerity is


particularly acute at CERN, the European atomic physics com- plex whose almost-mystical re- search — at temperatures ap- proaching absolute zero, or mi- nus-273 degrees Celsius — has been dramatized in books such as


Dan Brown’s “Angels and De- mons.” A ColdWar-era construct from


the 1950s, CERN was in part formed to get European nations working together again in the spirit of science. Today, much of CERN’s drama centers on the Large Hadron Collider, a $10 bil- lion particle accelerator buried 30 stories below green pastures 20 minutes west of Geneva. Switched on in 2008, the ma-


chine made headlines for what it could potentially do — create mini black holes, even search for newdimensions—andforwhat it could not — which was, namely, work. Ten days after starting op- erations, it broke down, forcing a costly refit of its super magnets and towering circuitry that fun- nel along a 17-mile circular track. Fully functional since only last


March, the collider was already scheduled to go down in 2012 for year-long upgrades, leaving the center’s other eight particle accel- erators for its 2,000-plus re- searchers to work with. But with European governments now de- manding budget cuts of $135 mil- lion over five years, Heuer made the decision to put all the acceler- ators on hiatus. Delaying the projects for a


year, he said, would avoid the need to eliminate them and give


scientists time to review moun- tains of data collected this year and next. The 2012 shutdown will be


even more severe than the last time the center powered down many experiments in 2005, also for budgetary reasons. “Do we want to do this? No,” Heuer said. “But it’s the best option I had.” Reactions here have ranged


from grudging acceptance to frustration. Inside a warehouse- like lab in the heart of CERN, for instance, scientists are tantaliz- ingly close to achieving a mile- stone — the ability to trap an atom of antimatter long enough to study it, getting closer to an understanding of why so much of it disappeared at the dawn of time, leaving matter to spread across the universe instead. If the project has not succeed-


ed by the end of 2011, the 12- month delay, researchers say, will seem like an eternity, too. “It’s like a 50-meter race where


the runners are told to stop run- ning,” saidMichael Doser, a lead- ing antimatter research physicist at CERN. “You can imagine what that does to the race.” faiolaa@washpost.com


Staff writer Marc Kaufman in Washington contributed to this report.


EZ SU


KLMNO In Europe, budgets hurting science


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010


Muslims toning down Eid festivities around 9/11


eid from A1


ings, theCouncil ofMuslimOrga- nizations in greater Washington has called on its 147 member groups to avoid holding Eid cele- brations on Sept. 11, and Muslim leaders are encouraging con- gregants to explain to non-Mus- lim friends and neighbors that the convergence this year ismere coincidence. A few groups are also beefing up security for this year’s event. But someMuslims disagree on


whether to adjust Eid activities in light of Sept. 11. “There are two strains of


thought,” Hooper said. “One is that Islam should not be blamed for 9/11 and thatMuslims should not have to alter their religious practices, and that if you do, that shows some kind of guilt; and the other is, ‘Hey, let’s show a little sensitivity.’ ” The convergence even feels


uncomfortable for some Mus- lims. “On one hand, 9/11 is a very difficult day for us, and on the other hand, Eid is like our Christ- mas— it’s a day for celebration,” said Zeba Iqbal, executive direc- tor of the Council on the Ad- vancement of Muslim Profes- sionals, one of several groups promoting a Muslim day of ser- vice on Sept. 11. “We’re all very bittersweet and somewhat con- flicted as to the best way to celebrate and commemorate at the same time.” A sampling of Islamic groups


in theWashington area, home to an estimated 250,000 Muslims, showed thatmosthadno celebra- tions planned on Sept. 11, and many had moved or toned down their usual activities. The All Dulles Area Muslim


Society center in Sterling, one of the nation’s largestmosques, typ- ically holds Eid events for 15,000 to 20,000 people in five locations, including synagogues, churches, hotels and sports facilities, with everything from prayer to chil- dren’smoon bounces; itwill cele- brate Eid on the 10th and hold its ninth annual interfaith peace gathering on the 11th. “We have been very firm in


recommending that people avoid festivities on Sept. 11,” said AD-


AMS board member Rizwan Jaka, adding, “If Eid was on Saturday, we would not have done themoon bounce.” Anwer Hasan, founder and


board member of the Howard County Muslim Council who at- tends Dar Al-Taqwa mosque in Ellicott City, said community leaders had alerted local elected officials to the holiday. “We need to bring awareness


to the American community here, so if anyone brings it to their attention, they knowwhat it is,” Hasan said. At the same time, Muslim


leaders want to alert their own members. “We fear that. . .maybe some immigrant communities that might be newer to this country might not attach the same level of importance to Sep- tember 11th,” Iqbal said, adding that pictures of smiling Muslims after a Sept. 10 Eid service could seem jarring in a newspaper published Sept. 11. Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center


in Falls Church will have pony rides, amoon bounce and free ice cream — but on Sept. 12, said Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, a member of theCouncil ofMuslim Organizations’ executive com- mittee. He added that major Islamic centers in the area are following the recommendation. But not all. “There are people


who have raised issues with me, saying, ‘How did you come up with this? I don’t know if this sends the right signal,’ ” Abdul- Malik said. The issue may be less of a


problem for non-immigrant Muslim communities, said Tariq Najee-ullah, resident imam of Masjid Muhammad, one of the District's oldest African Ameri- can mosques, which plans to have music performances, poet- ry, basketball and football on Sept. 10. “We have a very strong history


here,” Najee-ullah said, adding that many non-Muslim relatives of congregants will also attend. “For 75 years, we've been a pillar of the community. I don’t think the community will get the wrong impression of who we are.” bahrampourt@washpost.com


Source: The Nielsen Company. Live, Live+SD combo, 4/29/02-8/27/10, FNC vs. CNN, MSNBC, CNBC & HLN M-F 10p-11p name averages, excluding specials and breakouts, P2+ AA(000). Subject to qualifications to be made available upon request.


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