Group to Challenge Ground Zero Mosque Decision
Even as the backers of a project to build an Islamic community center and mosque celebrated a key planning decision in their favor, a conservative advocacy group founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson vowed to challenge the city panel's vote in state court.
Plans for the controversial mosque near ground zero were advanced forward as a city panel opened the way for developers to tear down a building that was struck by airplane debris on Sept. 11.
Brett Joshpe, an attorney for the American Center for Law and Justice, said the group would file a petition alleging that the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission "acted arbitrarily and abused its discretion."
The panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to deny landmark status to a building two blocks from the World Trade Center site that developers want to tear down and convert into an Islamic community center and mosque. The panel said the 152-year-old lower Manhattan building isn't distinctive enough to be considered a landmark.
Oz Sultan, a spokesman for the developers, said they had no comment on the possible legal action by the ACLJ. But he said the developers were grateful for the decision by the landmarks panel.
"We're very happy it's moving forward," he said.
The decision drew praise from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who stepped before cameras on Governor's Island with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop shortly after the panel voted and called the mosque project a key test of Americans' commitment to religious freedom.
"The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts," said Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent. "But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves, and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans, if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan."
The vote was a setback for opponents of the mosque, who say it disrespects the memory of those killed at the hands of Islamic terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. Jeers and shouts of "Shame on you" could be heard after the panel's vote.
The proposed mosque has emerged as a national political issue, with prominent Republicans from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich lining up against it. The Anti-Defamation League, the nation's most prominent Jewish civil rights group, known for advocating religious freedom, shocked many groups when it spoke out against the mosque last week.
Former Rep. Rick Lazio, a Republican running for governor of New York, attended the commission meeting with a handful of opponents of the mosque, which is being developed by a group called the Cordoba Initiative. Lazio said the group's imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, had refused to call the Palestinian group Hamas a terrorist organization.
Rauf also said in a "60 Minutes" interview televised shortly after Sept. 11 that "United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened."
Former New York City firefighter Tim Brown told CBS News Correspondent Jim Axelrod that he wants to know where the money for the mosque is coming from, believing Rauf has ties with extremists.
"We have seen through him," Brown told CBS News. "He's a bad guy."
The Cordoba Initiative says on its website that its goal is to foster a better relationship between the Muslim world and the West.
"We believe it will be a place where the counter-momentum against extremism will begin," the imam's wife, Daisy Khan, told The Associated Press on Friday. "We are committed to peace."
The commission's decision not to designate the existing building as a landmark means that the developers can tear it down and start from scratch. If the building had been declared a landmark, they could have created a smaller mosque and community center there.
A partner in the project, SoHo Properties, bought the property for nearly $5 million (euro3.8 million). Early plans call for a 13-story, $100 million Islamic center with a swimming pool, basketball court, auditorium and culinary school besides the mosque. The center, called Park51, also would have a library, art studios and meditation rooms. A memorial will be dedicated to victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Sultan, who is the media relations director for Park51, said there was no timeline for starting demolition or construction, which is expected take 18 to 48 months.
CBS/AP Plans for the controversial mosque near ground zero were advanced forward as a city panel opened the way for developers to tear down a building that was struck by airplane debris on Sept. 11.
Brett Joshpe, an attorney for the American Center for Law and Justice, said the group would file a petition alleging that the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission "acted arbitrarily and abused its discretion."
The panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to deny landmark status to a building two blocks from the World Trade Center site that developers want to tear down and convert into an Islamic community center and mosque. The panel said the 152-year-old lower Manhattan building isn't distinctive enough to be considered a landmark.
Oz Sultan, a spokesman for the developers, said they had no comment on the possible legal action by the ACLJ. But he said the developers were grateful for the decision by the landmarks panel.
"We're very happy it's moving forward," he said.
The decision drew praise from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who stepped before cameras on Governor's Island with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop shortly after the panel voted and called the mosque project a key test of Americans' commitment to religious freedom.
"The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts," said Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent. "But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves, and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans, if we said no to a mosque in lower Manhattan."
The vote was a setback for opponents of the mosque, who say it disrespects the memory of those killed at the hands of Islamic terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. Jeers and shouts of "Shame on you" could be heard after the panel's vote.
The proposed mosque has emerged as a national political issue, with prominent Republicans from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich lining up against it. The Anti-Defamation League, the nation's most prominent Jewish civil rights group, known for advocating religious freedom, shocked many groups when it spoke out against the mosque last week.
Former Rep. Rick Lazio, a Republican running for governor of New York, attended the commission meeting with a handful of opponents of the mosque, which is being developed by a group called the Cordoba Initiative. Lazio said the group's imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, had refused to call the Palestinian group Hamas a terrorist organization.
Rauf also said in a "60 Minutes" interview televised shortly after Sept. 11 that "United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened."
Former New York City firefighter Tim Brown told CBS News Correspondent Jim Axelrod that he wants to know where the money for the mosque is coming from, believing Rauf has ties with extremists.
"We have seen through him," Brown told CBS News. "He's a bad guy."
The Cordoba Initiative says on its website that its goal is to foster a better relationship between the Muslim world and the West.
"We believe it will be a place where the counter-momentum against extremism will begin," the imam's wife, Daisy Khan, told The Associated Press on Friday. "We are committed to peace."
The commission's decision not to designate the existing building as a landmark means that the developers can tear it down and start from scratch. If the building had been declared a landmark, they could have created a smaller mosque and community center there.
A partner in the project, SoHo Properties, bought the property for nearly $5 million (euro3.8 million). Early plans call for a 13-story, $100 million Islamic center with a swimming pool, basketball court, auditorium and culinary school besides the mosque. The center, called Park51, also would have a library, art studios and meditation rooms. A memorial will be dedicated to victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Sultan, who is the media relations director for Park51, said there was no timeline for starting demolition or construction, which is expected take 18 to 48 months.
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Although the verdict on whether there is "Wisdom" behind this particular Mosque is still out, it seems like there isn't ANY because; I hear on the news that there are already 100 Mosques in NY City now (doesn?t look like religious persecution to me), there is already a Mosque 4 blocks from ground zero (what "reasoning" would there be to putting a new one 2 blocks closer), I hear on the news there was a Mosque on Ground Zero that was destroyed by 9/11 (If "they" wanted to build a new Mosque on Ground Zero perhaps this one should be the first as a memorial to those who died).
With this said we still have many questions that need answering before we should come to a verdict beyond just opinion because as it stands now my opinion would be A RESOUNDING ?ARE YOU KIDDING --- NO?. So who is pushing for the Mosque and what is there real agenda for doing so? Lets continue to talk with these people. We need to find out where the money coming from for the Mosque? Because we regard the 9/11 area as Americans should, with respect and reverence, shouldn?t we make sure there is complete transparency in whatever goes on there? Since I?m not sure anyone even hears me and certainly don?t believe that I will really ever know the answers to these questions I HAVE JUST ONE MORE QUESTION THAT THE NEWS SHOULD BE ASKING FOR LITTLE GUYS LIKE ME:
This is probably the 10th time I've gone online, Fox and many others, and asked this question without even a hello back, so please someone write back (bob@hw-md.com) to at least to let me know that cyberspace isn't just a black hole and I?m not crazy trying to get through to other Americans.
WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION BELOW?
WHAT DO THE MUSLIM FAMILIES THAT LOST RELATIVES/FRIENDS IN 9/11 SAY ABOUT BUILDING THIS NY MOSQUE?
Partial List of Muslim 9/11 Victims: http://islam.about.com/blvictims.htm
Note: This list is as yet incomplete and unconfirmed. It has been compiled from the Islamic Circle of North America, the Newsday victim?s database, and reports from other major news organizations. The victims' ages, employers, or other personal information is included when available, along with links to further information or photos.
Samad Afridi
Ashraf Ahmad
Shabbir Ahmad (45 years old; Windows on the World; leaves wife and 3 children)
Umar Ahmad
Azam Ahsan
Ahmed Ali
Tariq Amanullah (40 years old; Fiduciary Trust Co.; ICNA website team member; leaves wife and 2 children)
Touri Bolourchi (69 years old; United Airlines #175; a retired nurse from Tehran)
Salauddin Ahmad Chaudhury
Abdul K. Chowdhury (30 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)
Mohammad S. Chowdhury (39 years old; Windows on the World; leaves wife and child born 2 days after the attack)
Jamal Legesse Desantis
Ramzi Attallah Douani (35 years old; Marsh & McLennan)
SaleemUllah Farooqi
Syed Fatha (54 years old; Pitney Bowes)
Osman Gani
Mohammad Hamdani (50 years old)
Salman Hamdani (NYPD Cadet)
Aisha Harris (21 years old; General Telecom)
Shakila Hoque (Marsh & McLennan)
Nabid Hossain
Shahzad Hussain
Talat Hussain
Mohammad Shah Jahan (Marsh & McLennan)
Yasmeen Jamal
Mohammed Jawarta (MAS security)
Arslan Khan Khakwani
Asim Khan
Ataullah Khan
Ayub Khan
Qasim Ali Khan
Sarah Khan (32 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)
Taimour Khan (29 years old; Karr Futures)
Yasmeen Khan
Zahida Khan
Badruddin Lakhani
Omar Malick
Nurul Hoque Miah (36 years old)
Mubarak Mohammad (23 years old)
Boyie Mohammed (Carr Futures)
Raza Mujtaba
Omar Namoos
Mujeb Qazi
Tarranum Rahim
Ehtesham U. Raja (28 years old)
Ameenia Rasool (33 years old)
Naveed Rehman
Yusuf Saad
Rahma Salie & unborn child (28 years old; American Airlines #11; wife of Michael Theodoridis; 7 months pregnant)
Shoman Samad
Asad Samir
Khalid Shahid (25 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald; engaged to be married in November)
Mohammed Shajahan (44 years old; Marsh & McLennan)
Naseema Simjee (Franklin Resources Inc.'s Fiduciary Trust)
Jamil Swaati
Sanober Syed
Robert Elias Talhami (40 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)
Michael Theodoridis (32 years old; American Airlines #11; husband of Rahma Salie)
W. Wahid
Although the verdict on whether there is "Wisdom" behind this particular Mosque is still out, it seems like there isn't ANY because; I hear on the news that there are already 100 Mosques in NY City now (doesn?t look like religious persecution to me), there is already a Mosque 4 blocks from ground zero (what "reasoning" would there be to putting a new one 2 blocks closer), I hear on the news there was a Mosque on Ground Zero that was destroyed by 9/11 (If "they" wanted to build a new Mosque on Ground Zero perhaps this one should be the first as a memorial to those who died).
With this said we still have many questions that need answering before we should come to a verdict beyond just opinion because as it stands now my opinion would be A RESOUNDING ?ARE YOU KIDDING --- NO?. So who is pushing for the Mosque and what is there real agenda for doing so? Lets continue to talk with these people. We need to find out where the money coming from for the Mosque? Because we regard the 9/11 area as Americans should, with respect and reverence, shouldn?t we make sure there is complete transparency in whatever goes on there? Since I?m not sure anyone even hears me and certainly don?t believe that I will really ever know the answers to these questions I HAVE JUST ONE MORE QUESTION THAT THE NEWS SHOULD BE ASKING FOR LITTLE GUYS LIKE ME:
This is probably the 10th time I've gone online, Fox and many others, and asked this question without even a hello back, so please someone write back (bob@hw-md.com) to at least to let me know that cyberspace isn't just a black hole and I?m not crazy trying to get through to other Americans.
WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION BELOW?
WHAT DO THE MUSLIM FAMILIES THAT LOST RELATIVES/FRIENDS IN 9/11 SAY ABOUT BUILDING THIS NY MOSQUE?
Partial List of Muslim 9/11 Victims: http://islam.about.com/blvictims.htm
Note: This list is as yet incomplete and unconfirmed. It has been compiled from the Islamic Circle of North America, the Newsday victim?s database, and reports from other major news organizations. The victims' ages, employers, or other personal information is included when available, along with links to further information or photos.
Samad Afridi
Ashraf Ahmad
Shabbir Ahmad (45 years old; Windows on the World; leaves wife and 3 children)
Umar Ahmad
Azam Ahsan
Ahmed Ali
Tariq Amanullah (40 years old; Fiduciary Trust Co.; ICNA website team member; leaves wife and 2 children)
Touri Bolourchi (69 years old; United Airlines #175; a retired nurse from Tehran)
Salauddin Ahmad Chaudhury
Abdul K. Chowdhury (30 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)
Mohammad S. Chowdhury (39 years old; Windows on the World; leaves wife and child born 2 days after the attack)
Jamal Legesse Desantis
Ramzi Attallah Douani (35 years old; Marsh & McLennan)
SaleemUllah Farooqi
Syed Fatha (54 years old; Pitney Bowes)
Osman Gani
Mohammad Hamdani (50 years old)
Salman Hamdani (NYPD Cadet)
Aisha Harris (21 years old; General Telecom)
Shakila Hoque (Marsh & McLennan)
Nabid Hossain
Shahzad Hussain
Talat Hussain
Mohammad Shah Jahan (Marsh & McLennan)
Yasmeen Jamal
Mohammed Jawarta (MAS security)
Arslan Khan Khakwani
Asim Khan
Ataullah Khan
Ayub Khan
Qasim Ali Khan
Sarah Khan (32 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)
Taimour Khan (29 years old; Karr Futures)
Yasmeen Khan
Zahida Khan
Badruddin Lakhani
Omar Malick
Nurul Hoque Miah (36 years old)
Mubarak Mohammad (23 years old)
Boyie Mohammed (Carr Futures)
Raza Mujtaba
Omar Namoos
Mujeb Qazi
Tarranum Rahim
Ehtesham U. Raja (28 years old)
Ameenia Rasool (33 years old)
Naveed Rehman
Yusuf Saad
Rahma Salie & unborn child (28 years old; American Airlines #11; wife of Michael Theodoridis; 7 months pregnant)
Shoman Samad
Asad Samir
Khalid Shahid (25 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald; engaged to be married in November)
Mohammed Shajahan (44 years old; Marsh & McLennan)
Naseema Simjee (Franklin Resources Inc.'s Fiduciary Trust)
Jamil Swaati
Sanober Syed
Robert Elias Talhami (40 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)
Michael Theodoridis (32 years old; American Airlines #11; husband of Rahma Salie)
W. Wahid
Is this a result of the will of local USA Muslims or foreign Muslims?
Will this worship center be used by all the local Muslims living within that community?
Again, what religious need are we attempting to fulfill??? The needs of local Muslims? or foreign Muslims?
At least the Klan love America, unlike muslims.
--------
I know some of both and I can tell you this: The Klan loves the America of sixty years ago, when blacks had to go to their own bathrooms and water fountains, to their own restaurants and sat in the back of the bus. The Klan lynched blacks. They are vile, prejudiced, backward people. I would rather have a Muslim family living next door to me than a bunch of Klansmen anytime.
Legally, there's probably nothing that can be done.
This is certainly 'food-for-thought'.
This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to finish. And send it on to everyone. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities.Can a good Muslim be a good American?
This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years.
The following is his reply:
Theologically - no. .Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon god of Arabia
Religiously - no.. Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran,2:256)Scripturally - no. . . Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.
Geographically - no Because his allegiance is to Mecca to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially - no. . . Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews
Politically- no.. .Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders),who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan.
Domestically- no. ..Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34 )
Intellectually - no. .Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on
Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically- no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Spiritually - no.. .Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' The Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran's 99 excellent names.
Therefore, after much study and deliberation.... Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and good Americans.
Call it what you wish it's still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand
this, the better it will be for our country and our future.The religious war is bigger than we know or understand. ....Footnote: The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!!
THE MARINES WANT THIS TO ROLL ALL OVER THE NATION THAT THEY GIVE THEIR LIFE TO PROTECT
Forward this to everyone you know!!!!
FEISAL ABDUL RAUF KNOWS THIS!!!!!
Is it a felt need of local muslims or foreign muslims. Are foreign muslims forcing their religious presence on in this given community?site? Where is all the millions of $$$ coming from to build this worship/training center?