You have all the possible links that one could think of, so I guess I wont give you the links. Instead, let me tell you what I think.
1) The Islamic and Christian View of Jesus: A comparison
This is a tricky subject. All the material out there will present either the Christian view or the Islamic view of Jesus/Isa-alaihi-salam. (And the same goes to say about Moses/ Musa-alaihi-salam). You have to read this material and find out what you want to believe in and how you want to present the facts.
I am not going to give you points about how Muslims and Christians see Jesus. It’s your job to find out. But in some ways this is a study of differences between Islam and Christianity. Obviously, A Christian or Islamic view would involve a study of the religion, its core belief systems and how people in both the religions see Jesus.
You can have the following views
1. A purely Islamic view, which defines Jesus as a messengers. A person who was given the message from God and asked to deliver it to the people.
2. A purely Christian view of how the Lord Christ was the Son of God and was given the message from God. How he sacrificed himself on the cross to wash away the sins of people.
3. A third party; which states all the common points between how Islam and Christianity see Jesus. I am sure there are common points when you see any individual’s life, for example say my life from a Hindu, Muslims or Christian perspective. There ought to be, we live our life in a common social framework. Our lives in many ways are molded in the society we live in. I put up a Christmas tree on Dec 25, I celebrate some Hindu festivals but I am a Muslim. If I were to be a prophet tomorrow wouldn’t people from all religions claim me to be their own kind. So also write some points about how Jesus’s life was molded by the society he lived in and how that affected his message to people.
Jesus is a controversial prophet. Christians claim him to be the Son of God, immortal. Muslims claim him to be a Prophet, a mortal, a messenger in the line of prophets from Adam. Christianity and Islam have given Jesus an important place in its belief system. Yet it is a fact that Islam and Christianity are based on different belief systems, they are different at the core!
Somehow your paper will have to take a stand. You cannot comment about Jesus without taking a stand; because to some he is the religion. What ever it is make sure you don’t put people in a defensive mood. Sense of security for people is very important. They cling to what they have been told from a long time, you tell them something radical and you become the next Salman Rushdie. Religion is a very touchy issue with people. So tread carefully.
Books I would like to suggest reading...
Jesus: Prophet of Islam
by Muhammad'Ata Ur Rahim (Hardcover )
Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities
by Mark A., Ph.D. Gabriel, Mark Gabriel (Paperback )
2) Life in America before and after 9/11
I think 9/11 is just a landmark. Situation was already changing. 9/11 made all the paranoid goverment activity legitimate. Security became a buisness and people made a lot of money on that.
I think 9/11 in a way provided the Bush Goverment with an oppertunity to deflect people's thought from the depressing job market, stock crash and other economic troubles to America's glory, War and high sounding words like "World Peace" and "Bringing Democracy to Iraq".
If you look at who made money during the years after 9/11 it is the Big firms. The little people are where they were.
Plus the minorities are now being subjugated to even more discrimination in the name of Security.