"Ground Zero Mosque" Developer Sharif El-Gamal: No Money from Iran, Hamas

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: In The News ,; Domestic Issues

Sharif El-Gamal, the developer behind the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," told CBS News in an interview last night that the backers of the project will not take money from "organizations that have un-American values."

(Watch video at left)

"We will not take money from Iran. We will not take money from Hamas," said El-Gamal of the funding for the project, a proposed Islamic cultural center two blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center called Park51.

"The money is going to be coming from people that want to get involved in the project," he told CBS News' Scott Pelley. "And I think it's gonna come from people from all walks of life."

El-Gamal kicked off a fundraising effort for the site today with an announcement that he had secured $10,000 in donations from a Muslim congregation for the $100 million project. The New York Times noted in a story discussing the difficulty of completing the project yesterday that "Mr. Gamal has yet to secure financing, hire an architect, incorporate the nonprofit entity that will run the center, start its fund-raising, recruit its board members, or present formal feasibility studies and business plans to community meetings."

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by 010sonny August 30, 2010 9:12 AM EDT: Obama exemplified his ability to lead. Unlike republicans that bow to the hysterias of the weak minded mob mentality. Laws and principles were written down for a reason. To remind us that this has been examined in the past and through trial and tribulations their findings were written down as to a course to maintain when mob hysteria rants their 5 minute wisdoms.
Osamabinladen comes to town, harms us runs away saying Islam, Islam and the mob gives chase seeking vengeance motivated by hysterics. Mob believes this terrorist.! Reason and a rational approach to a solution is discarded for emotional hatred. Now they have played right into the hands of their nemesis. He points and says attack and the mob does. Running amuck in futility, as their nemesis enjoying there confusion and how well, they will serve him. Their Fox teaches them how to chase their tails and on and on they go. Serving their masters, with their easily manipulated emotions.
Oh by the way FOX will be taking your monies to aid in the mosque construction via his buddy Walid bin Talal. LOL they will be having at their next get together. Stay tuned for osamabinladen next directives for ya, as soon as he can stop laughing.; Reply to this comment


by bryanabbott August 30, 2010 12:15 AM EDT: I'm going to start donating cash to the most extremist right wing paramilitary organizations I can find. I'm sending money to Michigan, Idaho, Montana etc..... any group that makes incendiary comments about this mosque is going to get my cash and I'll give plenty.

I suggest everyone else do the same.

Throw enough chips into the pot and someone is going to win big.; Reply to this comment


by TruthItIs August 30, 2010 12:15 AM EDT: With the prior stated views of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf self evident regarding the 9/11 attacks by terrorists on American Soil let's equate the ramifications of locating this "Community Center" ie. (Mosque) near Ground Zero to a hypothetical alternative so the level of concern can be clearly evident. The hypothetical example would be in the center of Harlem for a large "Ku Klux Klan Museum" to be constructed memorializing the KKK's dastardly deeds. The KKK Museum would have a legal right to build wherever it wanted to but the absolute disrespect for that would be immense. I only use this as an illustration and I under no circumstances support the Ku Klux Klan and their abysmal history. The Imam could probably locate anywhere else with some support even of several entities but I fear this is an intentional provocation dressed in sheep's clothing here. He has done many good things and in further evidence of that should locate elsewhere but he is taking advantage of our own weaknesses of some of the press and populace to say your Twin Towers are gone but my building is here now. His choice of developer is very indicative of true problems.; Reply to this comment


by carolynr1111 August 30, 2010 12:09 AM EDT: This is not about the mosque. It is very important and I hope you read. I verfied with my representative and can be check with www.truthorfiction.com. Chaka Fatta, a Democrat from PA introducted a billed called Debt Free America Act HR4646. This is what I received and verified:

President Obama's finance team is recommending a transaction tax. His plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar. This is a 1% tax on all transactions at any financial institution i. e. Banks, Credit Unions, etc.. Any deposit you make, or move around within your account, i. e. transfer to, will have a 1% tax charged. If your pay check or your social Security or whatever is direct deposit, 1% tax charged. If you hand carry a check in to deposit, 1% tax charged, If you take cash in to deposit, 1% tax charged.This is from the man who promised that if you make under $250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax. Keep your eyes and ears open, you will be amazed at what you learn.

I will be doing a cash only business. I will close my accounts at the bank and will be taking my social security in the form of a check and payments will be made in cash. If you don't think this is going to be a big tax on you and your family...it really amounts to 2%...one for the deposit and one for the withdrawal. Every check you write will have a 1% charge added to it. Get this out to your friends; Reply to this comment


by FredC1212 August 30, 2010 12:09 AM EDT: HOWEVER, the developers will be pleased as punch to accept any and all donations from any and all parties that sympathize with and donate money to Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Quaeda, etc. but are not themselves officially part of those violent terrorist groups...; Reply to this comment


by wolfmann4u-2009 August 30, 2010 12:08 AM EDT: Tim was confused when all he wanted was to take out Janet Reno; Reply to this comment


by Dannik89 August 30, 2010 12:08 AM EDT: I haven't been following this story for a while. Can somebody please explain to me the main argument against building this mosque -- other than the fact that there are many irrational people in America who falsely associate 9/11 with Islam - something that, in itself, had absolutely nothing to do with the actions of the terrorists (no matter what their excuses were)?

It's a project to build a place of worship on a private land. Does the current law of the United States prohibit such an action in this case? It's a "yes or no" question.

It just boggles my mind why people are discussing who wants to build it and what religion it serves. There's a good reason we have laws - so we don't have to have these retarded prejudiced arguments.; Reply to this comment


by carolynr1111 August 30, 2010 12:08 AM EDT: This is not about the mosque. It is very important and I hope you read. I verfied with my representative and can be check with www.truthorfiction.com. Chaka Fatta, a Democrat from PA introducted a billed called Debt Free America Act HR4646. This is what I received and verified:

President Obama's finance team is recommending a transaction tax. His plan is to sneak it in after the November election to keep it under the radar. This is a 1% tax on all transactions at any financial institution i. e. Banks, Credit Unions, etc.. Any deposit you make, or move around within your account, i. e. transfer to, will have a 1% tax charged. If your pay check or your social Security or whatever is direct deposit, 1% tax charged. If you hand carry a check in to deposit, 1% tax charged, If you take cash in to deposit, 1% tax charged.This is from the man who promised that if you make under $250,000 per year, you will not see one penny of new tax. Keep your eyes and ears open, you will be amazed at what you learn.

I will be doing a cash only business. I will close my accounts at the bank and will be taking my social security in the form of a check and payments will be made in cash. If you don't think this is going to be a big tax on you and your family...it really amounts to 2%...one for the deposit and one for the withdrawal. Every check you write will have a 1% charge added to it. Get this out to your friends; Reply to this comment

by slatep August 28, 2010 4:47 PM EDT

I DON'T BELIEVE ONE WORD OUT OF THIS MAN'S MOUTH .

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by slappy-jones August 28, 2010 4:53 PM EDT: You don't have to.

by wolfmann4u-2009 August 28, 2010 4:42 PM EDT

AOL censorship of the internet. What is next ?

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by slappy-jones August 28, 2010 4:43 PM EDT: This isn't AOL. And any private company has a right to censor anything they want. You do know that, don't you?


by thanksgreed August 28, 2010 5:08 PM EDT: I doubt if it's censorship. The mods don't work too hard here on the weekends. Probably just the board hittin' the hooch, again. Poor thing's been hittin' it all day.