White House Dodges Questions on "Ground Zero Mosque"

The site of a proposed mosque near Ground Zero has launched a heated debate about whether the mosque is appropriate.

/ CBS

Though the White House is usually waist-deep in most controversies, it's very decidedly distancing itself from the heated dispute over whether an Islamic cultural center and mosque should be built a couple blocks from Ground Zero.

"This is rightly a matter for New York City and the local community to decide," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday, making no apologies for not taking a stand on the issue.

Since taking office, President Obama has made a high profile effort to reach out to the Muslim community.

"Islam, as we know, is part of America," he said last September as he hosted an Iftar Dinner, the nightly breaking of the daylong fast observed by Muslims during Ramadan.

On a number of occasions, Mr. Obama has sought to defend American Muslims from the stigma of the terrorists who share their religion.

"We know that the vast majority of Muslims reject al Qaeda," he said last January in a speech on strengthening intelligence and aviation security.

Based on those and similar statements, it would seem likely that Mr. Obama would take the side of the New York City Muslims seeking to build a community center and mosque.

But politically, it's a no-win situation for the president. He neither wants to offend Muslims nor the families of 9/11 victims who view the construction of a mosque so near to Ground Zero as an insult to the memories of their loved ones killed at the hands of adherents to radical Islam.

So spokesman Gibbs was willing to straddle the fence on behalf of Mr. Obama. He said that like his predecessor, the president has made it clear that the US is "not at war with a religion but with an idea that has corrupted a religion."

Nevertheless, Gibbs said the White House is not going to get involved in what it views as an issue to be resolved by "local decision-making."

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Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

[Britlogic]

As a brit looking across the pond there are some simple facts
as well as emotions that need airing on this debate.

The American constitution laudably upholds the secular principle of
religion playing no part in government.
It also upholds the right of the individual to hold any religious views they wish.

The question is therefore debatable as to wether a president should get involved at all.

Religions almost by definition are anti-democratic as they tend to seek to convert or kill the infidel(non believer)or followers of other beliefs.

Any religion that seeks to eventually take over the state replacing democracy with theocracy in the short or longer term is therefore unconstitutional and should be discouraged.

Catch 22. The president in upholding the constitution would in those circumstances has to decide which is the greater principle.
religious freedom or democracy.

The question would appear to be.Is Islam in its fundamental aspirations undemocratic and therefore unamerican?
If the answer to either is yes the President knows his first duty.

[joe1377]

the mosque is not called the ground zero mosque. a right wing blogger named it that. it's been there for 27 years already. it's 2.5 blocks from ground zero and not even visible from the site. it is not a victory mosque. it is not connected in any way to terrorism. muslims died in the towers and muslims worked as first responders just like everyone else. muslims are american just like you and deserve the exact same rights. it would be illegal to block this rebuilding and it would be unamerican. our constitution covers all citizens of all religions. if anything the mission of this mosque and learning center is education. and there is a mosque already in the area and closer to the site. there is also a muslim place of worship in the pentagon.

if you are against this mosque then are you also against banning all churches from a several mile area around any abortion clinic where a christian nut killed a doctor? how about banning any gun show from oklahoma city in memory of the victims in the Murrah building who were murdered by gun nut Timothy McVeigh? you wouldn't do that because it would be illegal and immoral.

the funniest part of this is that those against the building are doing exactly what those who attacked on 911 hoped for. you are fighting islam so you give their agenda credibility. you are also stripping rights away from your own citizens. literally making people lose their american born rights. and for something that moderate muslims are against every bit as much as you are. moderate muslims. the overwhelming majority of muslims.

[Scrat068]

This is a total slap in the face to the families that lost family members on that horrible day.
To think that this Mosque is going to be built at Ground Zero makes me sick to my stomach and ashamed to be an American at this time.
Obama isnt going to object to it being built he is for it or that guy wouldnt be over in the Middle East peddling for money to build it.
I wouldnt be supprised if Obama used taxpayers money to help build it.
Obama hasnt come out and actualy admit the fact but he is a closet Muslem himself look at his views, his distancing the USA from Israel after the blockade running incident, He didnt and wont come out of the clost because of the negative view's of the muslim faith etc (he wanted to get elected and also re-elected).
If Bush or any other President were in office he would gome down on the people and help if not personaly put a dampener on the people wanting to build this at ground zero but you will NOT see Obama blocking it.
All you have to do is look at his name !!!! Barrack Hussein Obama <HELLOOOOOOOOOO wake up!!!! Muslim look at his comments made in january and september!!!! also possibly an Islamic cultural center built on the site if not the mosque??
How the hell is this suppposed to preach tolerance??? the only people allowed at the 2 sites woould be muslim's not any other faith.
If they wanted to preach tolerance then it should be a REGULAR CULTURAL CENTER that ALLLLLLLLL faiths or beliefs could go to and mingle even teach about various faiths and religions so that cultural stereotypes are broken down and the public is taught what each faith has in common or not.
I can not believe they actualy blamed the JEWS for 9/11 also for the expansion of homosexuality, alcoholism drug addiction and prostitution??? are these people stupid or what also us taxpayers paying for numbnuts to go over to the Middle East to beg for money to build one of these 2 places on ground zero.
I really really hope NEITHER place is built because of the gravity of what happened.
I am in no way prejudicial towards any race,color,creed etc but the muslim faith pushes the envelope towards acceptance etc, whans the last time a Christian, Jew, Baptist, Buddist, Catholic murdered someone (IN THE NAME OF THE FAITH) ?? You dont see them calling us Infidels and calling for a Jihad (in the name of the faith!!!) holy war against us Westeners.
It really jerks my rod that the President all but has high profile muslims in his ass pocket accepting them and other of the faith and he pushing Israel away.
Desnt he realize they are our only Ally in the middle east!! the dumb ass but he is an ARROGANT SOB and NO ONE can change his mind about anything he thinks he walks on water ( the Jesus affect) he has.
Whats gonna happen when IRAN gets a bur up their ass and want to attack us hmmmmmmmmmm last time I checked they were most if not alllll Muslim their and they (Iran and the muslims) from their wanted to wipe us Infidels off the face of the planet and Iran has NUKES!!!! what happens is they end up backing Al-Ding-Dongs??? do you think Barrack Hussein Obama is gonna do anything???? NOOOOOOOOOOO he isnt because he wont attack his own people !!!! Israel will get the dirty job of taking out the Nuke plants in Iran just like thay did back in the 80's.
Israel has had to fight for its life sense its founding back in the late 40's. and we were the first nation to recognize them and they have had numerous wars against Egypt, Syria,etc and kicked the **** out of them but now were gonna kiss the muslims let them build a bullcrap mosque or cultural center on an American Holy site??? and let the muslims blame the Jews for the attack and the other things listed?? Obama has his head so far up his ass its unbelievable, you would not see any other President in the past letting this insulting thing going to happen in NYC!!.
If either of them are built they wont last possibly because someone WILL NOT LIKE IT AND do what should be done to it (BURN IT DOWN!!)
I hope to GOD!!! they dont look for donations in the USA let alone NY or GOD forbid NYC. It would and will be a slap in the face to the families of the casualties of 9/11 not just at Ground Zero but ALL of the families directly affected on that day. I hope on ground breaking day when the President breaks ground that their are mass protesters on hand for the occasion and the BOOOOOOOING the HMFIC got from the Boyscouts wont be anything compared to what the Prez will get their.

Anyways just a longgggggg comment on my part because the more i wrote and thought about this the more I got pissed about this happening in our country and more so WHERE they want to build these embarrasing building's (BUILD THEM SOMEWHERE'S ELSE) besides Ground Zero!!!!!
come on PREZ!!!! WAKE THE HELL UP YOU ARROGANT SOB stop alienating the USA public!!!

[ryanedel]

Scrat068, I am somewhat disturbed by the way you've taken your facts and twisted them into misinformation. You seem to believe that Al Qaeda represents the beliefs of all Muslims - they don't. If you'll look at history, you'll see that the Nazi's called themselves Christians in the same way the Taliban and Bin Laden call themselves Muslims. Would you allow Hitler to speak for you?

You believe that Muslims promote a faith of intolerance - in reality, Islam is no more intolerant than any other faith. As in any faith, some Muslims are extremists, some are open to everyone, and most tend to fall somewhere in-between. Have you seen the movie "Traitor"? I think it does a good job showing how faith can be twisted by those who abuse it, and that it's up to each of us to understand the virtues of tolerance.

In case you haven't noticed, many Muslims have died fighting the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. The people in Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered far more under extremists than any of us like to think.

Have you ever been to Afghanistan? Have you actually signed up to defend America yourself? Or do you prefer to simply enjoy your ignorance? If you go over there, you'll see what it means to experience decades of religious oppression. You'll see the fear and distrust in their eyes - not just of Americans, but of everyone. They have been taught to hide and flee or be killed by the arbitrary dictates of despots who claimed they were working for their god.

Now if this leaves no effect on you, consider this: it is Jesus who tells us to forgive - not just seven times, but seven times that and more. Judgment is reserved for the Lord. If in fighting evil we turn to evil deeds ourselves, then we have allowed ourselves to be overtaken by evil.

And don't forget that we share the same God with Muslims. God in English, Gott in German, Dio in Italian, Allah in Arabic. Different languages, different lands, the same God. We each hear the message somewhat differently, but we are given the same path to follow. And it's up to us to choose whether we will follow that path, or if instead we will fall prey to the simple temptations of intolerance, bigotry, and violence.

[elcidproject]

There's a middle path to take for President Obama, and for all parties concerned. That's to embrace the classic 1961 movie, "El Cid," which depicts, with very strong images, the defeat of radical Islam by an alliance of Christians and moderate Muslims during the time of medieval Spain. What could be more timely? "El Cid" is more relevant today than when it came out!
http://www.elcidproject.blogspot.com

[LIBERALS-lie]

What happened to OBAMA's stmt about being the ambassador to the Muslim world...

[jgg000101]

ya know, just the fact that they are calling this thing "the ground zero mosque" should make Americans go ballistic.

[syslmod]

Everyone is talking about building a cultural center 2 blocks from the world trade ctr site. Nobody cares about employing muslims our most sensitive (financial and security) institutions (both public or private). As long as it increases profits. This is the true immigration problem.

[syslmod]

I hear the facist GOP is trying to link this to Aushwitz. The 911 attacks were horrific in that they targeted civilians (a war crime). But, this was not GENOCIDE! The two are not comparable and is a slap in the face to holocaust survivors.

[cleric60]

Controversy is heating up on plans for building a giant, 15-story Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero.

Journalist Thomas Friedman and many others including New York's mayor consider the building of a mosque proof of American tolerance that will have positive impact on the Muslim world.

Yet others, myself included, say to the contrary that Radical Muslims and their sympathizers want to raise the giant mosque as a sign of victory of the jihadists over the U.S. Such a mosque would signal to the Islamic world that jihadists' overt and covert attacks against America and its interests are succeeding and should be continued.

Allowing the erection of a Ground Zero mosque would enable jihadists to extend their narrative of success: "First our 9/11 attacks destroyed the World Trade Center, symbol of American power, and now the mosque symbolizes Islam's rise to power within America."

How is the public to know which side is correct? Fortunately, Friedman's hypothesis that the Islamic world respects religious tolerance can be tested.

One test would be to ask mosque leaders to request that Saudi Arabian leaders reciprocally allow churches and synagogues to be built in their country.

A second test would be to ask questions that would clarify if the mosque's proponents are truly moderates or in fact jihadist radicals disguised as moderates. Americans who defend the building of this mosque could ask the mosque's Islamic proponents to publicly post to the media and on their websites answers to the following questions:

1. Islamic law (Shariah) states that Muslims who convert to Christianity must be killed (Redda Law), women in adulterous relationships must be stoned to death, men can beat their wives to discipline them, and homosexuals should be killed.

Are you willing to recommend that these traditional Muslim practices be banned and to condemn countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran which accept such practices as religiously mandated?

2. Several Muslim texts declare that Jews are pigs and monkeys and that killing Jews before "end days" is a religious duty for Muslims.

Are you willing to declare that these texts must be changed and/or reinterpreted and that Islamic teaching of such anti-Semitic values must stop?

3. Muslim texts that are approved by all the schools of jurisprudence in Islam (Shafeii, Hanbali, Maleki, and Hanafi) state that Muslims must declare wars against non-Muslims to spread Islam and those they conquer must either convert to Islam, pay Jizya (a humiliating tax), or be killed.

Are you willing to declare that this belief, used in "Foutohhat Islameia," the early wars to spread Islam, and praised currently in much of the Muslim world, is un-Islamic and unacceptable?

Mosque leaders issue statements such as, "Islam is the religion of peace," "Islam respects freedom of religion," "Islam is the religion that gave them their rights," or "Islam is not anti-Semitic." Their answers to the questions above about Shariah teachings would clarify if it would be unfair to call these leaders jihadist Islamic radicals, or if in fact their statements about Islam are misleading propaganda.

Are Islamic Mosque advocates willing to declare publicly, in English and in Arabic, that their answers to these three questions are yes? If so, let the mosque proceed. If not, plans to build a shrine to Islam near the grounds of the World Trade Center are contrary to America's values should be halted immediately.

[M_Miles]

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34.
*********************************
Apparently there are those that do not have the understanding that what happened on 9-11 is a sin perpetrated upon our nation.

These that are without understanding would rather give into fear and not hear the facts about where the money is coming from to build the
Ground Zero Mosque.

It would be the sane thing to check first and make sure the money to build the Mosque is not coming from any group that was and or is affiliated with those that caused the following destruction seen in this video. . .

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5474006551011489413#