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August 13, 2010 8:30 PM

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Obama: Ground Zero Mosque within Muslims' Rights

By: Alex Sundby
Topics: White House

Updated at 10:12 p.m. ET

In a defense of religious freedom before a group of Muslims dining at the White House Friday, President Obama supported the mosque and community center planned to be built near ground zero in New York City.

(Watch clip at left)

"As a citizen and as president, I believe that Muslims have the right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Mr. Obama said. "That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."

Mr. Obama addressed the group celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The president hosted the daily meal that breaks the month-long fast, called an iftar dinner.

The remarks represent Mr. Obama's first comments on the center.

"This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable," Mr. Obama said. "The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our founders must endure."

The president also referred to the 9/11 attacks as "a deeply traumatic event for our country" and called the site where the World Trade Center towers once stood "hallowed ground."

CBS Radio News Correspondent Mark Knoller reports that the president's response isn't much of a surprise.

"It's the president taking a firm stand for the principle of religious freedom," said Knoller. "It's clear he's willing to bear the political consequences -- if any -- of his assertion that Muslims have the right to build their mosque, even near to ground zero. His background is constitutional law, and his remarks make it evident he sees no reason to deny the Muslims the rights and protections of freedom of religion."

The center has riled some friends and family members of victims who died during the 9/11 attacks and some emergency workers who responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center. However, their opposition has not been uniform.

The issue has also attracted the attention of many political figures. Conservative leaders, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, oppose the center. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports it.

According to a pool report for the press, the president "spoke for 11 minutes before a crowd of roughly 120 people seated at a dozen tables in the State Dining Room, including men in suits, women with heads covered and women with heads uncovered, at least one man in African garb and at least one man in a Navy uniform."

Mr. Obama noted at the beginning of his remarks that Rep. Andr? Carson, D-Ind. and one of two Muslim American members of Congress, was among the guests.

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Alex Sundby
Alex Sundby is an associate news editor for CBSNews.com

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by walkthisway12 October 22, 2010 11:27 AM EDT: Hmm I really am starting to think Obama doesn't care about His country, He is a terrible president and all he cares is making himself look good. Shame on you Obama Shame on you.

Karma will come back to bite you in the ass in 2012 election.; Reply to this comment


by queen240 September 9, 2010 12:15 PM EDT: This is just completely sad, of all the things being built on ground zero, there will be a Muslim Mosque... wow what a good reminder to those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. I understand we are of religious freedom, they have the right to build their places of worship where they please, but building it on ground zero is simply a slap in the face. Why not build a memorial of those who lost their lives, or a an amazing non religious building to say ... here we are still standing strong. Instead we are going to allow a Mosque to be built to prove that we are not fearing terrorism... Wake up... terrorism is still a threat, how dare us build a religious building just to say we are not fearing terrorism. It is not about not believing in their religion... it is keeping that place a sacred monument. It is just ridiculous, let us pray... this is asking for chaos.; Reply to this comment


by queen240 September 6, 2010 3:28 AM EDT: This is just completely sad, of all the things being built on ground zero, there will be a Muslim Mosque... wow what a good reminder to those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. I understand we are of religious freedom, they have the right to build their places of worship where they please, but building it on ground zero is simply a slap in the face. Why not build a memorial of those who lost their lives, or a an amazing non religious building to say ... here we are still standing strong. Instead we are going to allow a Mosque to be built to prove that we are not fearing terrorism... Wake up... terrorism is still a threat, how dare us build a religious building just to say we are not fearing terrorism. It is not about not believing in their religion... it is keeping that place a sacred monument. It is just ridiculous, let us pray... this is asking for chaos.; Reply to this comment

by cmdegolier August 16, 2010 4:53 PM EDT

obama won't allow states to protect their citizens against invasion, but will allow a mosque funded by terrorists to be built. So he will only follow parts of the constitution

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by ge556 August 17, 2010 12:37 PM EDT: You don't have a clue about this issue or the constitution. Fortunately, Obama does. If we allow our fear of Muslims to destroy our constitution, the terrorists will have won.


by scs2010 August 16, 2010 4:46 AM EDT: Hello,
your blog is best.; Reply to this comment

by Joutue August 16, 2010 3:58 AM EDT

By Joutue August 16, 2010 2:53 AM

Obama 's defending the Mosque being not built, should make more people believe that he's a muslim.
OH, and another thing it's really all about the votes for him in 2012,
otherwise he probably wouldn't put his two cent in, on it.

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by ge556 August 17, 2010 12:41 PM EDT: Man, you've got everything backwards.
He defending the mosque (actually, Islamic center) being built.
Probably more fools will believe he's a Muslim -- you did get that right.
But it sure won't get him more votes, because the fools far outnumber the Muslims in the US.
He spoke up because it was the right thing to do, because too many fools don't understand the constitution.

by Realisticdreamz August 16, 2010 2:01 AM EDT

This ?additional? NY Mosque is nothing more than a self proclaimed victory in blatant disrespect for the 9/11 victims, Americans, and undermining its people and Constitution which was meant to protect us against such religious/political entities. Islam is a political religious entity that wants to rule over the world with Shariah law. There is NO SEPARATION of church and state in Islam. Islam is in direct conflict with our Constitution. And our Constitution was never meant to protect political/religious entities with plans to rule the world and take our Constitution down (and change it to compliance with its own, Shariah law).

There is no irony that our National Day of Prayer was stopped and called ?unconstitutional,? while the president celebrates Islamic holidays in the White House. Dare to remember the screams in streets from hundreds of thousands of Islam followers ?Death to the USA.?

And when America Citizens, patriots, speak against this religious political entity making an act of hostility (in the name of peace) towards American victims, by blatantly and disrespectfully using symbols of their power in America near the sight of 9/11, true patriots are deceitfully called, ?racists.? It is no different than villains disguising themselves as victims all while spewing hatred and rage against its own Citizens who have rights for protection against such political/religious entities. It is an act to divide Americans against their own country. It is an act and symbol of war against Christianity, Americans and the West.

May God bless and protect America!

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by ge556 August 17, 2010 12:45 PM EDT: Wrong. This is not an additional mosque. This is a replacement of an existing Islamic center on the same site.

Your bigotry is unamerican. Individuals must not be treated according to the actions of other individuals of the same religion. If they don't break the law, they get the same rights as anyone else.

by MRCJR440 August 15, 2010 6:09 PM EDT

obama,you have alot of nerve letting terrorist/muslims build a meeting place to recruit terrorism! mosques are proving to be breeding ground for terrorists. It's not on national T/V because management's afraid that it's not political correct. It's not only disrespectful it's just wrong to build a mosque that represents the very thing we are trying to fight, TERRORISM. I think the people that think it's OK to build a recruitment center blocks away from ground zero, REMEMBER 9/11, should not be in office or have any power over giving permission to build a mosque!!! GOV.BREWER FOR PRESIDENT! At least she has common sense.

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by ssilver567 August 16, 2010 5:34 AM EDT: MRCJR44; Thank you for expressing my own objections so well. What an insult to all intellegent patriots! That slick way he had of avoiding the question, does he thing its "right" as against the technical question of religious freedom. If moderate muslims were good, self-respecting Americans, they would NEVER have allowed such an idea to even come to frutation. Instead, they would be speaking out and trying to weed out the extremist fundamentalists. They, do not do that. AmericanMuslims seem more interested in being self-righteous victims strictly concerned with protecting their image. As if they had no idea just how bad their image is and is getting worse!

by deanomatic August 15, 2010 1:35 PM EDT

By their actions and choices we will truly know them.

That Islam has every Constitutional right to build a mosque at Ground Zero is not even a serious question. If any other church can be built there, then an Islamic church can be built there.

This event is most assuredly not a test of "American religious tolerance". That is not the issue: Rather, it is Islam itself that is being tested.

Imam Rauf and his supporters know full well that building their mosque so near Ground Zero is, in the words of a Muslim columnist at the National Post who opposes the mosque, "a thumb in the eye" of every non-Muslim (and some Muslim) Americans. In PC terms, Islam is committing an act of gross cultural and personal insensitivity against the US people and the people of every nation that lost innocents in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Knowing full well what they are doing and having declined earnest offers of compromise, they continue to build the mosque anyway.

This is a clarifying event: By making the choices they have to exercise their right to build a mosque too near Ground Zero, Islam and its supporters in this matter will have told every non-Muslim - and some Muslim - Americans everything we need to know about the intentions of Islam in the US.

Building the Cordoba mosque at Ground Zero will be a turning point in history of Islam and America.

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by ge556 August 17, 2010 12:48 PM EDT: They are replacing an EXISTING Islamic center.
Should you not be allowed to replace your home, business, or church because someone of a similar ethnic background murdered someone?
That's unamerican.

by bruharrt49 August 15, 2010 11:43 AM EDT

Obama hates America. Everything he does and has done brings division, incredible debt, and support for our enemys that want to end us. To quote WAYNE ALLYN ROOT who was in school with Obama and learned how to destroy a present government by overwhelming the system,he says "As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Obama is following the plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University......"He is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social chaos". So why do we stand by and allow it. I am a 100% disabled decorated Viet Nam soldier trained to defend our country and how do we feel to watch what Obama is doing.
I believe in Religious freedom but what he has done is spit on the graves and loved ones who were murdered in the name of Islam. And on those of us who believe in freedom and have seen our comrades die for it he spits on us again which is what we faced in the 60's and 70's.
Does anyone listen to us? We know that where Islam is dominant its brutal arm rejects any other religion and voice of freedom. So why allow the encouragement and growth of this malignant philosophy at ground zero and within our perimeter. When we established a perimeter to defend on the frontline we would not invite our enemy to sit within our border and especially where we experienced KIA's.
He, Obama , is a poser when it comes to the constitution,,,this is obvious to what he is really about which is Cloward & Piven teachings "dedicated to destroying capitalism and installing themselves as socialist rulers by overwhelming the system" to eventually be coupled with the establishment of Islamic rule.
Where Islam grows freedom corrodes. Is there any freedom of religion in the Islam counties. Muslims demand religious freedom, yet are not willing to give it to others. Look how people of other faiths hide in the cracks of other countries where Islam rules. Only Allah can be mentioned. Its an intolerant philosophy and belief system which is not American.

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