Ground Zero Mosque

Mixed reactions filled New York as a panel cleared plans for construction of a Islamic Cultural Center and mosque on a street only two blocks from the site of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.
The vote by the city Landmarks Preservation Commission was unanimous in denying protected historic status to the building that will be eventually torn down and replaced with the contested Islamic center. The building, built in 1858, was deemed historically insignificant as well as architecturally insignificant. The decision by the panel was the last obstacle facing the organizers of the Islamic Center, which will house a gym, a mosque, a cultural and educational activity space, as well as a memorial to those who died in the terrorist attacks.
A hot issue since it appeared in the news, the question is of the appropriateness of an Islamic center being built so close to where thousands of Americans lost their lives at the hands of Muslim extremists.
However, city officials and even the President of the United States support the right to build based on religious freedom and private property rights. The group which proposed the center, The Cordoba Initiative, stresses that it will be a place for moderate Muslims, not extremists. This does not quell the voices of some republicans and 9/11 family members who say that building a mosque so close to the World Trade Center Site insults and mocks the memory of those who died on September 11th.
Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, praised the decision on an island off of Lower Manhattan, saying. “We would betray our values — and play into our enemies’ hands — if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else,” he said, appearing with a group of religious leaders. “To cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists.”
Many New Yorkers hope cooler heads will prevail. Ralph Seliger, an expert on Middle East issues, expressed his opinion by saying, “In no way is this intended to desecrate the memory of those who died there.”

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Posted by Brett Nordin on Mar 7 2011. Filed under Featured News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.