Critics call it the “Mosque at Ground Zero.” Developers call it the Cordoba House Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center. Now the Imam behind the controversial proposed structure calls it a go!
Appearing in a special exclusive television interview on CNN’s LARRY KING LIVE with guest host Soledad O’Brien, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf finally spoke his peace. “I have been struck by how the controversy has riveted the attention of Americans, as well as nearly everyone I met in my travels,” he said having just returned from a State Department-sponsored Middle East trip to promote U.S.-Muslim relations. “We have all been awed by how inflamed and emotional the issue of the proposed community center has become. The level of attention reflects the degree to which people care about the very American values under debate: recognition of the rights of others, tolerance and freedom of worship.”
But despite opposition, the Imam was clear that he intends to proceed with plans to renovate the existing Muslim Center nearby Ground Zero. Opponents say it is too close to the site of the terror attacks and is disrespectful to the memory of those who died on 9/11. But supporters point out the need to express religious tolerance. However, Rauf described the center as a shared space for community activities, saying “There will be separate prayer spaces for Muslims, Christians, Jews and men and women of other faiths. The center will also include a multi-faith memorial dedicated to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.”
Addressing concerns that terrorist money will help finance the structure, the Imam said he has a system in place to assure that no money from Islamic extremist will be part of the project, and that he will make public the names of all financial backers. He also added: “I am very sensitive to the feelings of the families of victims of 9/11, as are my fellow leaders of many faiths. We will accordingly seek the support of those families, and the support of our vibrant neighborhood, as we consider the ultimate plans for the community center. Our objective has always been to make this a center for unification and healing.”
5 SURPRISES FROM THE CNN INTERVIEW:
1.) Rauf said he regrets locating the Islamic center near Ground Zero: “If I knew that this would happen, cause this kind of pain, I wouldn’t have done it.”
2.) Rauf believes he can’t move the Islamic center now due to national security concerns, saying parts of the Muslim world would be violently inflamed at the news of the center’s relocation: “The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack. If we do move, it will strengthen the argument of the radicals to recruit, their ability to recruit, and their increasing aggression and violence against our country.”
“If this is not handled correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis, which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world,” Rauf said later. “If we don’t handle this crisis correctly it could become something which could really become very, very, very dangerous indeed.”
3.) When news first broke about the proposed Islamic center near ground zero last December, there was no controversy around it. “It was a front-page article in New York Times,” Rauf told CNN, “and no one objected. This controversy only began in May, and it began as a result of some politicians who decided to use this for certain political purposes.”
4.) The New York Islamic Center will include a memorial for those killed in the 9/11 attacks.
5.) Despite the controversy, Rauf believes this is an historic opportunity for Muslims to think about their place in the United States and for the country to think about religious freedom. “There’s a silver lining here,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to speak about this subject in a manner that is sober, in a manner that is coherent. To look at what we are all about as Americans, to look at what it means to be Muslim in America. To look at how we are going to put back this genie of clash between the West and the Muslim world back into the bottle.”
I watched the whole interview on CNN. If this mosque does get built some crazy american might do the unthinkable. If it doesn' get built some crazy terrorist might do the unthinkable. It's almost damned if you do damned if you don't.