The "Ground Zero Mosque" Debate
Aug. 16, 2010 | permalink
Politicians across New York and beyond are debating the proposed construction of an Islamic center and prayer space two blocks from the World Trade Center site.
The American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative received tentative approval in late May for construction of the $100 million Islamic center in lower Manhattan, as reported by Fox News.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio voiced concern over the project in early July, according to NPR, calling on N.Y. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is also the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, to investigate the center's funding. According to the website of the New York political program Capital Tonight, Cuomo rejected the call for an investigation and responded to Lazio in a letter, asking, "What are we about, if not religious freedom?"
Carl Paladino, Lazio's opponent in the Sept. 14 GOP gubernatorial primary, said in a radio ad that, if elected, he would use the power of eminent domain to prevent construction of the center. According to The Times-Union, an Albany-area newspaper, Paladino said the center is "about the Islamists wanting to illustrate that they have conquered America by taking down the World Trade Center." Recent polls show Paladino "gaining in his challenge to Rick Lazio," The Buffalo News reported on Aug. 3.
Other New York Republicans who have voiced opposition include Michael Faulkner, a congressional candidate in New York's 15th district, who argued against the center on Chris Matthew's television program, Hardball, and Dan Maloney, a candidate in New York's 4th district who gave a speech at a rally hosted by the organization Stop Islamization of America. Republican George Pataki, the former governor of New York, argued against the construction on Fox News and MSNBC. The New York Observer reported that nine-term Congressman Peter King and Senate candidate Gary Berntsen voiced concerns about the Islamic center in a shared conference call.
Not all New York politicians are opposed to the Islamic center, however. In addition to Cuomo, the New York Post reported that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, supports the center's construction. He called Lazio's proposed investigation into the center's finances "un-American," according to AP.
Politicians elsewhere in the country have also joined the debate. Politico reported that former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin tweeted, "Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in interest of healing." Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, also a Republican, expressed opposition to the center on his website, as reported by AP. The Hill reported that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said developers should "put the brakes" on the planned mosque. But according to The Boston Globe, Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has "lent his support" to the Islamic center.
At an iftar dinner for Ramadan held at the White House on Aug. 13, President Barack Obama supported the right of Muslims throughout the U.S. – including in lower Manhattan – to build new mosques and community centers, saying, "as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country." After his remarks were widely interpreted as an endorsement of the New York City Islamic center, he clarified the next day that his comments were meant to address the issue of religious freedom rather than "the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque" near the ground zero site, as reported by USA Today.
National interest groups have also weighed in. Reuters reported that the National Republican Trust PAC unsuccessfully sought to air a television spot – featuring images of Islamist militants and video clips of the 9/11 attacks – protesting the Islamic center. The Anti-Defamation League said in a press release that "New York would be better served if an alternative location could be found." The pro-Israel lobby J Street, however, has backed construction of the center, The Jerusalem Post reported.
