http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2008432,00.html

Quote :

The last legal hurdle to the proposed Islamic center near the site of the World Trade Center has been removed, but ignorance, bigotry and politics are more formidable obstacles. The unanimous vote Tuesday, Aug. 3, by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission means the building that currently occupies 45-47 Park Place can be torn down, clearing the way for Park51, a project known to its critics as the "Ground Zero Mosque." Criticism spans the gamut, from the ill-informed anguish of those who mistakenly view Islam as the malevolent force that brought down the towers to the ill-considered opportunism of right-wing politicians who see Islam as an easy target.

(Ironically, Islam's roots in New York City are in the area around the site of the World Trade Center, and they predate the Twin Towers: in the late 19th century, a portion of lower Manhattan was known as Little Syria and was inhabited by Arab immigrants — Muslims and Christians — from the Ottoman Empire.)

With city authorities now out of the way, it is the people spearheading the project who must bear the enormous pressure to give up their plans and scrap the building. They are being accused of sympathizing with the men who crashed the planes on 9/11 and of designing the project as, in Newt Gingrich's reckoning, "an act of triumphalism."

And yet Park51's main movers, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan, are actually the kind of Muslim leaders right-wing commentators fantasize about: modernists and moderates who openly condemn the death cult of al-Qaeda and its adherents — ironically, just the kind of "peaceful Muslims" whom Sarah Palin, in her now infamous tweet, asked to "refudiate" the mosque. Rauf is a Sufi, which is Islam's most mystical and accommodating denomination.

The Kuwaiti-born Rauf, 52, is the imam of a mosque in New York City's Tribeca district, has written extensively on Islam and its place in modern society and often argues that American democracy is the embodiment of Islam's ideal society. (One of his books is titled What's Right with Islam Is What's Right with America.) He is a contributor to the Washington Post's On Faith blog, and the stated aim of his organization, the Cordoba Initiative, is "to achieve a tipping point in Muslim-West relations within the next decade, steering the world back to the course of mutual recognition and respect and away from heightened tensions." His Indian-born wife is an architect and a recipient of the Interfaith Center Award for Promoting Peace and Interfaith Understanding.

Can Sufism defeat terrorism?

Since 9/11, Western "experts" have said repeatedly that Muslim leaders who fit Rauf's description should be sought out and empowered to fight the rising tide of extremism. In truth, such figures abound in Muslim lands, even if their work goes unnoticed by armchair pundits elsewhere. Their cause is not helped when someone like Rauf finds himself being excoriated for some perceived reluctance to condemn Hamas and accused of being an extremist himself. If anything, this browbeating of a moderate Muslim empowers the narrative promoted by al-Qaeda: that the West loathes everything about Islam and will stop at nothing to destroy it.

Rauf and Khan have said Park51 — envisaged as a 15-story structure, including a mosque, cultural center and auditorium — will promote greater interfaith dialogue. The furor over the project only underlines how desperately it is needed.

Interesting piece.

While I'm slightly antipathetic towards building new places of worship in general -be they mosques, churches or temples- I find myself interested in how this story is playing out.

So in short it's people who get bitchy because they're planning on building a muslim building near the spot of the Twin Towers?

Why are people always looking for reasons behind the plan?
They're going to build a new place of worship...That doesn't mean it's going to be a shrine of win by the Muslims...

But I can see why it's bothering American citizens...Bunch of Pansies.

I think it might show the maturity of the American nation to allow a Mosque to be built.. It's like: "aye, some radical muslims struck a blow to our country, but we know they are extremists and don't represent the majority of muslims. We are above that kind of thinking and so we allow you to have a place of worship near Ground Zero, but let it serve as a reminder of the danger of fanaticism and extremism."

Where is my tax money, O I see, it's in new york...in a mosque.

MCMXCII wrote:

I think it might show the maturity of the American nation to allow a Mosque to be built.. It's like: "aye, some radical muslims struck a blow to our country, but we know they are extremists and don't represent the majority of muslims. We are above that kind of thinking and so we allow you to have a place of worship near Ground Zero, but let it serve as a reminder of the danger of fanaticism and extremism."

Exactly.

freestyler_3 wrote:

Where is my tax money, O I see, it's in new york...in a mosque.

Oh really, Freestyler?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us+canada-10641970

Quote :

Republican Congressman Peter King and the Republican candidate for governor of New York, Rick Lazio, have called for an investigation into the funding for the mosque.

How do you know something that a Reupblican congressman and candidate for governor don't?

Did you just make it up?

This place we live in was suppose to be a place where we can worship whatever religion we want...
Lately, it feels to me people don't really care what's going on in the world and its like 9/11 never really happen nor existed, but once its starts popping out religious shit people are like "oh I care." I say let there be a place, long as they do no harm to anyone.

Maybe they should just build a bridge... ?

build that shit. pay for the land, pay for the building, pay for everything, it's yours. Do what you want with it. I do what I want with my land you should be able to do what you want. w/e keep your nose out of my shit and I'll leave you alone and we can have peaceful coexistance until you fuck something up with that understanding.

u know if there is a sacred part of their religion from the middle east here in new york by 9.11 maybe there be no more air planes there be no more an heroes. idk rebuild the wtc and mebe history wont repeat itself cuz we has a sacred place they dnt wana crash teehee

A right wing American nutter will fly his Sopwith Camel Bi-plane into the new Mosque.
Which will create a beautiful irony.

GamingGoddess wrote:

This place we live in was suppose to be a place where we can worship whatever religion we want...
Lately, it feels to me people don't really care what's going on in the world and its like 9/11 never really happen nor existed, but once its starts popping out religious shit people are like "oh I care." I say let there be a place, long as they do no harm to anyone.

Pluh5000 wrote:

build that shit. pay for the land, pay for the building, pay for everything, it's yours. Do what you want with it. I do what I want with my land you should be able to do what you want. w/e keep your nose out of my shit and I'll leave you alone and we can have peaceful coexistance until you fuck something up with that understanding.

You two seem to understand. It isn't about what we want, it's about recognizing people have rights even when we personally don't agree with their action. So the $10,000,000 question to those who would try and block this:

If you feel America is a great place and allows more freedom than our enemies, why would you mirror their intolerance and adopt their political policies that you disagree with? To be truly better one needs to follow their moral compass and not compromise their values.

this shouldnt even be a story

the right wing faggots who are seeking re-election or personal agendas for popularity are merely twisting the fucking story so idiots who dont understand islam can associate mosque with terrorism

wat a fucking joke this government has become
all it is now is who whips out the bigger wallet in order to get up on that pedastool and shout out bullshit

fuck this
i hope they build that shit, that way all these right wingers and pundit assholes can get a awsome amnt of tr-tr-tr-trolling by muslims who are merely practicing what the pundits shout out at their retard audiences every fucking night

bah!

wow! couldnt give a fuck. neither should anyone else.

Monty wrote:

MCMXCII wrote:

I think it might show the maturity of the American nation to allow a Mosque to be built.. It's like: "aye, some radical muslims struck a blow to our country, but we know they are extremists and don't represent the majority of muslims. We are above that kind of thinking and so we allow you to have a place of worship near Ground Zero, but let it serve as a reminder of the danger of fanaticism and extremism."

Exactly.

freestyler_3 wrote:

Where is my tax money, O I see, it's in new york...in a mosque.

Oh really, Freestyler?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us+canada-10641970

Quote :

Republican Congressman Peter King and the Republican candidate for governor of New York, Rick Lazio, have called for an investigation into the funding for the mosque.

How do you know something that a Reupblican congressman and candidate for governor don't?

Did you just make it up?

I am not talking about your tax money, my tax money does not go to the USA...well it does, but it is not originally from the USA.
I am Dutch.

freestyler_3 wrote:

I am not talking about your tax money, my tax money does not go to the USA...well it does, but it is not originally from the USA.
I am Dutch.

Um, so Dutch taxes are supporting Feisal Abdul Rauf's New York mosque?

I don't get it.