Despite the millions of square feet available for rent (and countless buildings for sale) in New York City, New York Muslims have chosen an area 600 feet from where the World Trade Center stood to erect the Cordoba House, a 15-story, $100 million mosque and Islamic cultural center. Not surprisingly, the prospect of constructing the mosque in this sensitive location has been controversial. In fact, while New York residents have rightfully earned a liberal reputation and typically preach tolerance, a Siena Research Institute poll shows that 6 out of 10 New Yorkers stand opposed to building the mosque near Ground Zero.

The poll indicates opposition to the Cordoba House that spans religious, ethnic, and ideological lines. The strongest resistance comes from suburban and upstate New York residents, as well as from self-described conservatives. Surprisingly, however, 55 percent of those identified as liberals and moderates also stand opposed to the project. The poll shows 73 percent of Catholics and 75 percent of Jews against the prospect of the mosque. Ethnic makeup did little to alter the results, with 69 percent of whites, 52 percent of blacks, and 62 percent of Latinos opposed to the Cordoba House.

According to the Daily Caller, “The results of the poll echo similar findings from a July poll by Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, which found that New York City voters opposed the Cordoba proposal by 52 percent to 31 percent.” A month later, the opposition has continued to grow.

Of the many opposed to the project is the “9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong America," which called the Cordoba House “a gross insult to the memory of those who were killed on that terrible day.” 

Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin turned to Twitter to ask the "peace-seeking Muslims" to reject the building of the mosque at Ground Zero, as it will interfere with the American recovery from the September 11th attacks.

Former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan argues, "The issue here is the appalling insensitivity, if not calculated insult, of erecting a mosque two blocks from a World Trade Center where 3,000 Americans were massacred by Islamic fanatics whose Muslim religion was integral to their identity and mission."

Several Muslim groups have voiced their opposition to the project as well.

Founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy Zuhdi Jasser reacted to the prospect: “For us, a mosque was always a place to pray, to be together on holidays — not a way to make an ostentatious architectural statement. Ground zero shouldn’t be about promoting Islam. It’s the place where war was declared on us Americans.”

Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, asserted, “Building a 15-story Islamic center at Ground Zero isn’t something a Sufi (spiritually wise Muslim) would do. Sufism is supposed to be based on sensitivity toward others,” as opposed to the imposition of a Muslim mosque in an area where Americans were attacked by radical Muslims, a prospect that Schwartz calls “grossly insensitive."

Articulating similar sentiments, Raheel Raza of the Muslim Canadian Congress told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, “How does building a mosque in the very place where Muslims murdered so many other Americans create any kind of respect? And as a Muslim, I read in my holy book, the Quran, that we should be very sensitive towards people of other faiths, especially when we are living in lands that are not Muslim lands. And these are the neighbors and our colleagues and the people we care about. We don’t show our caring for them by being intolerant. Building a mosque for a place of worship in a particular spot across the street from Ground Zero is a slap in the face of all Americans.”

Despite the strong opposition to the Cordoba House, the project has also acquired some big-named support as well, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

The Daily Caller writes, “Those in support of the Cordoba House, which claims it seeks to encourage interfaith dialogue as part of its outreach, tend to see the project as a positive step in building relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in the U.S.”

Unfortunately, the potential for the mosque to build a positive relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims is likely diminished by the Imam behind the Cordoba House: Fiesal Abdul-Rauf (See: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,599162,00.html).

Several days after the 9/11 attacks, Feisal stated, “I wouldn’t say that the United States deserved what happened, but United States policies were an accessory to the crime that did happen.”

Furthermore, Feisal is affiliated with the Perdana Global Peace Organization, the same that donated $366,000 to the Free Gaza Movement, which organized the six-ship flotilla resulting in a violent conflict with Israeli soldiers.

Clearly, Feisal is not the face for a so-called “outreach” project.

Funding for the $100 million Cordoba House proves to be an obstacle currently, but the State Department has elected to finance an overseas trip for Imam Feisal, in order to secure funds for the project.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley confirmed this:

“[Feisal] is a distinguished Muslim cleric. We do have a program whereby we -- through our Educational and Cultural Affairs, you know, bureau here at the State Department -- we send people from Muslim communities here in this country around the world to help, you know, people overseas understand our society and the role of religion within our society.“

The State Department’s generous offer to finance Feisal’s exploits unfortunately creates a tangled web that cannot serve to bolster President Obama’s credibility. Feisal’s connections to the Free Gaza movement tie him to the terrorist organization Hamas, a group Feisel has refused to denounce, and to friends of President Obama — left-wing radicals Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, and Rashid Khalidi, who promised to launch another flotilla offensive. The coming offensive is to be called “The Audacity of Hope," the title of President Obama’s book, which was named after the sermon of Obama’s radical minister Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Conservative pundit Glenn Beck explained that he was of two minds on the subject of the mosque’s construction. While he believes that building the mosque is an exercise of “religious freedom," a constitutionally-protected right, he also contends that the prospect is a “slap across the face." More than anything, Beck stands opposed to the presence of a “radicalized mosque” at Ground Zero, and with Imam Rauf as head of the mosque, one cannot be sure that such will not be the case.

Beck indicates, “Despite the blatant disregard for the sensitivity of the mosque’s location and despite the obvious slap in the face of the dedication date (they were going to open it on 9-11-11), and despite the funding source, that is unknown, I think those are kind of red flags.”

It did raise red flags.

In an effort to appease angered New Yorkers, New York State Governor David Paterson proposed several other locations for the construction of the Cordoba House, but his offers were rejected by the organizers of the project.

Where and when the Cordoba House will be constructed remains to be seen.

With a CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll showing 70 percent of Americans opposed to the construction of the Cordoba House at Ground Zero, one wonders if the will of the American people will once again be ignored by the powers that be.

Photo: In this Aug. 3 photo, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and unidentified local religious leaders bucked the majority to voice support for a proposed mosque near ground zero at a news conference on Governors Island in New York harbor: AP Images

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Mikey Pinkie-Rings said:

Wait a second.... This is a multi-faceted issue to be sure. However, I think it wise to note that one of the essential foundations of our freedom in America has been the ability to dispose of your private property as you see fit. Therefore, the issue should be, who owns the property, and do they have a right to allow the building of the mosque? The people of NY or the rest of the US can be against it, but if it is private property, the mosque can stand, if we support freedom. Now, having said that, it would be monumentally stupid for them to build this mosque. If they wish to escalate tensions into an open hostility against muslims, well, that is their choice.

August 12, 2010

cleanupnynow said:

... I am perplexed that David Paterson would suggest state land for the site. Whatever position one stands on the mosque issue, state land must not be used for its site. Once again the incompetent Paterson proves he can not govern. But, then again Paterson could never really govern. “The Democratic Conference: Organizational and Operational Structure Report” is an eyewitness account of Paterson’s DYSFUNCTIONAL governing nature while Senate Minority Leader. http://www.politico.com/static/PPM110_demreportfinal.html Paterson’s office was criticized for PATRONAGE, LACK OF LEADERSHIP, INDECISIVENESS and INFIGHTING. Those interviewed in the report indicated that its chief of staff the disorganized Michael Jones-Bey had no management skills, would booze it up with staff, often coming in the office with a hangover, and should be fired. Amazingly, for running such a DYSFUNCTIONAL CHAOTIC office, the disorganized Michael Jones-Bey was picked by Paterson to mismanage the Division of Minority & Women Owned Business Development (MWBE) at Empire State Development Corporation. Now, that's the Paterson way, being rewarded for your incompetence.

August 12, 2010

KH said:

... In the financial investment industry we have to jump through many hoops or else face federal government fines, in order to make sure money that may be invested through our firm can pass the smell of laundering or terrorist funding. It appears as though in this case, the millions to be mysteriously paid in cash doesn't even draw a hint of curiosity even though the imam has ties to terrorist organizations. So this isn't about freedom of religion. It's about the safety of Americans and the blatant disregard by the leaders of New York City. If New Yorkers continue to ignore the warning signs as was given before 9-11 then history will repeat itself all with the complicity of Mayor Bloomberg.

August 12, 2010

tyson bam said:

a great and surprisingly poignant satire on the subject This was a much better piece and even had a valid message. just because you have the freedom to do something doesn't mean you should do it. Pork Plant Opens Next to Mosque Next to Ground Zero http://rancornews.com/nymosque.html

August 12, 2010 | url

tressa said:

Mosque Controversy When Muslims in other countries allow Churches and Synagogues and Buddist Temples to be built, then they can talk about bridge building, and being a religion of tolerance and peace...They are a bunch of hypocrites. This Cordoba Project is an initiative to show power that the Muslim Islamists won the war over The American People..and we should show our displeasure over this insulting insensitive outrageous push to place a mosque walking distance from where the pulvarized bones of 9/11 victims are still being discovered...How outrageous is this? Their motive is to institute Sharia Law and to take power in all aspects of our way of life. This is an attack on our way of life...They are using our laws against us...this religion is not a religion of peace..it is being dominated politically by extremists and the quicker we understand their motivation, the quicker we will stop this rush to desicrate sacred ground...Symbolism is part of the Muslim religion...and this symbolic project is to show they have conquered the U.S.

August 15, 2010

DONTBUILDIT said:

Mosque build in New York It sounds as if this Muslim group is ignoring the "quran" rules, they are not abiding in peace with people of other faiths in other Countries. If these people were not born in The United States of America, even IF they are now legal citizens, they should be shipped outta here on the next boat BACK across the Atlantic, if they took the oath to uphold the laws of this land, and not cause decension, then they should stick to the oath or be tried for treason and their citizenship be revoked. WAKE UP AMERICA, take BACK our Country before it is too late!

August 16, 2010 | url

DONTBUILDIT said:

... I don't think it will ever happen. I think New Yorkers will rise up and prevent the building of it, by any means necessary. If any company contracts to build it, it will have to be a foreign company because any American company would be forced out of business afterwards.

August 16, 2010 | url

SCHNORCHEL said:

Obama's reaction Obama's favorable statement on the radical Mosque to be built near Ground Zero indicates that Radical Islam has infiltrated into the highest echelon in the United States, namely the United States Presidency. Mayor Bloomberg, a Jew, can only be perceived as a traitor to Judaism by supporting the building of the Islamic center, because Moslems are hell-bent on destroying world Jewry. A possible explanation for Bloomberg's action can be that he is a Cryptocommunist first and a Jew second. This opinion is based on John Birch Society C. E. O. Art Thompson's information in the DVD Exposing Terrorism, at http://www.shopjbs.org/index.p...sm-1.html. The DVD exposes the fact that terrorism has been state-sponsored by the previous Soviet Union and now by its disguised state, the "Community of Independent States", both Communist states. Hence Islamic world terrorism is Communist-sponsored and Bloomberg tacitly agrees with it because of his Communist leanings. The significance of this success is still not widely appreciated.

August 18, 2010

Khaled Al-Radadi said:

Freedom These Americans are very racists because they do not want to build an Islamic center. These Americans are fascists because they are against tolerance and religious freedom. All Muslims are shocked because of this racism. Muslims respect any American who supports the idea of building an Islamic center in any site in America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam Khaled

September 06, 2010

Pogo said:

Ignorance An entire religion should not be compared to an extremist group. The Islamic view preaches peace. I know most Muslims would not like to be compared to those crazed lunatics . It is like the entire Christian faith would have to be compared to Nazi's and I know mostly all Christian would not like to hold the burden of a crime that we did not commit. America was colonized to be a place for anyone to believe in what ever they want a safe haven if you will. Muslims also. They are trying to clear the cloud of ignorance of the western point of view for themselves. It is a sad day in america when we do not live by the core of our beliefs and sadder when we are to punish millions for the crimes of few. I would have been proud of the entire population of America to let this small thing pass without controversy.

September 10, 2010