Paul,

I absolutely agree. Even George Bush was clear the US is not at war with Islam. Fortunately neither Newt or Sarah currently hold any public office in the US. They both quit from elected office.  They're just pandering to their fringe followers while playing into the hands of Osama. All religions have extremists. They're trying to establish themselves as the Christian candidates. Religious extremists don't win national elections in the U.S. 

A facility which will house a mosque is not the same as a "Mosque" The building is currently being used as a prayer space and has been since it was purchased.

Call it what you like. The WTC had a restaurant on the top floor. The WTC was not not called a restaurant. My post speaks for itself.

Thank you for your comment. All Americans have the right to free speech.

Patti,

Thank you for your comment. I'm defending the 1st amendment of the US constitution. All Americans have the right to free speech. I don't draw a line on free speech or religious freedom. You have the right to your opinion (anonymous blog comment) but you're opinion is irrelevant and not based on facts.

"The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens."

President George Washington 1790

George Washington perfectly expresses the ideal relationship among the government, its individual citizens and religious groups. It's the foundation of American religious liberty and the principle of separation between church and state.

Ruthmarie, Apparently it's an important issue for people who have never stepped foot in NYC except for a Saks shopping spree.  You are correct about the neighborhood. The local residents support the center. Perhaps they need/want a community cultural space with a 500-seat performing arts theater, fitness center, swimming pool, and library, as well as public conference rooms, basketball courts and restaurants.

Yes a block or two definately makes a difference in Manhattan. We can't see Russia from lower Manhattan. There are too many buildings here. We can barely see the next Manhattan zip code. The WTC is zip code 10048. The community center is planned for zip code 10007 (the neighborhood is actually called Park Row). Directly above Park Row between Worth and Broome Street From the Bowery to the Hudson River is zip code 10013. Tribeca (10013) is now New York City's richest zip code and the 12th wealthiest zip code in America.  

Ruthmarie, Westchester too. I grew up in "Crestwood" off Scarsdale Road. We were on the Yonkers side. As you know, the other side is Eastchester, a few blocks away is Edgemont and a few blocks in the other direction is Tuckahoe and Bronxville. My sister lives on Garth Road. She has a Scarsdale address but is in the town of Eastchester. My brother had a Bronxville addres but lived in Yonkers just like Sarah Lawrence College has a Bronxville address but is in Yonkers.

BTW: President Obama ended the war in Iraq. The war that was the biggest strategic mistake in American history. The war that the families of 9/11 were opposed to. The war that had nothing to do with the WTC attacks. The WTC terrorist's were from Saudi Arabia "our friends and allies".

Hi Lois,

If your only issue is the opening date, I can assure you, you have nothing to worry about. It takes a minimum of 18 months for any building to be constructed or converted in NYC. The date of 9/11 may be wishful-thinking at best but it's irrelevant because it would be impossible. Nothing gets built here that quick. Now that it is being exploited as a national issue, it will probably take years.

I don't believe this is a liberal or conservative issue.  I believe it is a non issue:

"Not oncehave I heard anyone say, Conservative or Liberal, that the people don't have a right to build this Center"

Newt Gingrich said:

"There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia".

I don't understand how any American (liberal or conservative) who understands the concept of liberty and freedom can make a statement that stupid. He also made a comparison to Nazi's. Of, course he has the right to make stupid statements but they will have adverse consequences on his political aspirations.

I haven't heard Biden make a statement about the Tribeca Community Center. But if he did and it is stupid I will add him to my list of out-of-town fools who are making statements without facts or information.

Once again, I have not heard anyone say they do not have the RIGHTto put up this Center.

The tea party Republican candidate running for Governor of NY (from upstate NY) says he will use the power of eminent domain to stop the center if elected Governor.

What do you call signing petitions to stop it and Law suits filed against the City of New York by out of state conservative/religious groups that my tax dollars have to pay to defend?

Newt also said:"this is not about the Legal Right of putting up the Mosque (Cultural Center), it's whether it is the right thing to do."

Would that be the same as saying/showing a Muslim a property in a Jewish neighborhood or a black buyer in a white neighborhood and saying "You have the legal right to buy this property. It's whether it is the right thing to do?"

I don't know who is making this a liberal/conservative issue. It certainly is not an issue in Manhattan and it certainly should not be an issue outside of Manhattan.

This blog is factual and the data is researched. I also live and practice real estate in Manhattan.

A member of the Real Estate Board of New York, The Corcoran Group, NRT, and Licensed by New York State as an Associate Broker.

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Leslie,

Thank you. I really appreciate your comment. "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".

I really believe that powerful quote. Free speech is not negotiable. The emotional and unfounded nonsense being tossed about not only surprised me, as an American, it embarrassed me.

Thank you for your strong voice of reason.

Kudos to Ron Paul. Republican, Tea Party founder "gets it"

"All About Hate, Islamaphobia"

Congressman Ron Paul today released the following statement on the controversy concerning the construction of an Islamic Center and Mosque in New York City:

Is the controversy over building a mosque near ground zero a grand distraction or a grand opportunity? Or is it, once again, grandiose demagoguery?

It has been said, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” Are we not overly preoccupied with this controversy, now being used in various ways by grandstanding politicians? It looks to me like the politicians are “fiddling while the economy burns.”

The debate should have provided the conservative defenders of property rights with a perfect example of how the right to own property also protects the 1st Amendment rights of assembly and religion by supporting the building of the mosque.

Instead, we hear lip service given to the property rights position while demanding that the need to be “sensitive” requires an all-out assault on the building of a mosque, several blocks from “ground zero.”

Just think of what might (not) have happened if the whole issue had been ignored and the national debate stuck with war, peace, and prosperity. There certainly would have been a lot less emotionalism on both sides. The fact that so much attention has been given the mosque debate, raises the question of just why and driven by whom?

In my opinion it has come from the neo-conservatives who demand continual war in the Middle East and Central Asia and are compelled to constantly justify it.

They never miss a chance to use hatred toward Muslims to rally support for the ill conceived preventative wars. A select quote from soldiers from in Afghanistan and Iraq expressing concern over the mosque is pure propaganda and an affront to their bravery and sacrifice.

The claim is that we are in the Middle East to protect our liberties is misleading. To continue this charade, millions of Muslims are indicted and we are obligated to rescue them from their religious and political leaders. And, we’re supposed to believe that abusing our liberties here at home and pursuing unconstitutional wars overseas will solve our problems.

The nineteen suicide bombers didn’t come from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran. Fifteen came from our ally Saudi Arabia, a country that harbors strong American resentment, yet we invade and occupy Iraq where no al Qaeda existed prior to 9/11.

Many fellow conservatives say they understand the property rights and 1st Amendment issues and don’t want a legal ban on building the mosque. They just want everybody to be “sensitive” and force, through public pressure, cancellation of the mosque construction.

This sentiment seems to confirm that Islam itself is to be made the issue, and radical religious Islamic views were the only reasons for 9/11. If it became known that 9/11 resulted in part from a desire to retaliate against what many Muslims saw as American aggression and occupation, the need to demonize Islam would be difficult if not impossible.

There is no doubt that a small portion of radical, angry Islamists do want to kill us but the question remains, what exactly motivates this hatred?

If Islam is further discredited by making the building of the mosque the issue, then the false justification for our wars in the Middle East will continue to be acceptable.

The justification to ban the mosque is no more rational than banning a soccer field in the same place because all the suicide bombers loved to play soccer.

Conservatives are once again, unfortunately, failing to defend private property rights, a policy we claim to cherish. In addition conservatives missed a chance to challenge the hypocrisy of the left which now claims they defend property rights of Muslims, yet rarely if ever, the property rights of American private businesses.

Defending the controversial use of property should be no more difficult than defending the 1st Amendment principle of defending controversial speech. But many conservatives and liberals do not want to diminish the hatred for Islam–the driving emotion that keeps us in the wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.

It is repeatedly said that 64% of the people, after listening to the political demagogues, don’t want the mosque to be built. What would we do if 75% of the people insist that no more Catholic churches be built in New York City? The point being is that majorities can become oppressors of minority rights as well as individual dictators. Statistics of support is irrelevant when it comes to the purpose of government in a free society—protecting liberty.

The outcry over the building of the mosque, near ground zero, implies that Islam alone was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. According to those who are condemning the building of the mosque, the nineteen suicide terrorists on 9/11 spoke for all Muslims. This is like blaming all Christians for the wars of aggression and occupation because some Christians supported the neo-conservatives’ aggressive wars.

The House Speaker is now treading on a slippery slope by demanding a Congressional investigation to find out just who is funding the mosque—a bold rejection of property rights, 1st Amendment rights, and the Rule of Law—in order to look tough against Islam.

This is all about hate and Islamaphobia.

We now have an epidemic of “sunshine patriots” on both the right and the left who are all for freedom, as long as there’s no controversy and nobody is offended.

Political demagoguery rules when truth and liberty are ignored.

August 24, 2010

MAYOR BLOOMBERG SPEACH FROM GRACIE MANSION

The following are Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's remarks as delivered.

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"Well, good evening, and Ramadan Kareem, and I want to welcome everyone to our annual Ramadan Iftar at Gracie Mansion. 

"We call this 'The People's House,' because it belongs to all 8.4 million New Yorkers who call this city home. And people of every race and religion, every background and belief. And we celebrate that diversity here in this house with gatherings like this one.

"And for me, whether it's marking St. Patrick's Day or Harlem Week or any other occasion, these gatherings are always a powerful reminder of what makes our city so strong and our country so great.

"You know, America is a nation of immigrants, and I think it's fair to say no place opens its doors more widely to the world than New York City. America is the land of opportunity, and I think it's fair to say no place offers its residents more opportunity to pursue their dreams than New York City. And America is a beacon of freedom, and I think it's fair to say no place defends those freedoms more fervently, or has been attacked for those freedoms more ferociously, than New York City.

"In recent weeks, a debate has arisen that I believe cuts to the core of who we are as a city and a country. The proposal to build a mosque and community center in Lower Manhattan has created a national conversation on religion in America, and since Ramadan offers a time for reflection, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on that very subject.

"There are people of good will on both sides of the debate, and I would hope that everyone can carry on a dialogue in a civil and respectful way. In fact, I think most people now agree on two fundamental issues: First, that Muslims have a constitutional right to build a mosque in Lower Manhattan and second, that the site of the World Trade Center is hallowed ground. And the only question we face is: how do we honor that hallowed ground?

"The wounds of 9/11 are still very much with us. And I know that is true for Talat Hamdani, who is here with us tonight, and who lost her son, Salman Hamdani, on 9/11. There will always be a hole in our hearts for the men and women who perished that day. 

"After the attacks, some argued - including some of those who lost loved ones - that the entire site should be reserved for a memorial. But we decided - together, as a city - that the best way to honor all those we lost, and to repudiate our enemies, was to build a moving memorial and to rebuild the site.

"We wanted the site to be an inspiring reminder to the world that this city will never forget our dead and never stop living. We vowed to bring Lower Manhattan back - stronger than ever - as a symbol of our defiance and I think it's fair to say we have. Today, it is more of a community neighborhood than ever before, with more people than ever living, working, playing and praying there.

"But if we say that a mosque or a community center should not be built near the perimeter of the World Trade Center site, we would compromise our commitment to fighting terror with freedom.

"We would undercut the values and principles that so many heroes died protecting. We would feed the false impressions that some Americans have about Muslims. We would send a signal around the world that Muslim Americans may be equal in the eyes of the law, but separate in the eyes of their countrymen. And we would hand a valuable propaganda tool to terrorist recruiters, who spread the fallacy that America is at war with Islam.

"Islam did not attack the World Trade Center - Al-Qaeda did. To implicate all of Islam for the actions of a few who twisted a great religion is unfair and un-American. Today we are not at war with Islam - we are at war with Al-Qaeda and other extremists who hate freedom.

"At this very moment, there are young Americans - some of them Muslims - standing freedoms' watch in Iraq and Afghanistan, and around the world. A couple here tonight, Sakibeh and Asaad Mustafa, have children who have served our country overseas and after 9/11, one of them aided in the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. And I'd like to ask them to stand, so we can show our appreciation. There you go. Thank you.

"The members of our military are men and women at arms - battling for hearts and minds. And their greatest weapon in that fight is the strength of our American values, which have already inspired people around the world. If we do not practice here at home what we preach abroad - if we do not lead by example - we undermine our soldiers. We undermine our foreign policy objectives. And we undermine our national security.

"In a different era, with different international challenges facing the country, President Kennedy's Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, explained to Congress why it is so important for us to live up to our ideals here at home. Dean Rusk said, 'The United States is widely regarded as the home of democracy and the leader of the struggle for freedom, for human rights, for human dignity. We are expected to be the model.'

"We are expected to be the model. Nearly a half-century later, his words remain true. In battling our enemies, we cannot rely entirely on the courage of our soldiers or the competence of our diplomats. We all have to do our part.

"Just as we fought communism by showing the world the power of free markets and free elections, so must we fight terrorism by showing the world the power of religious freedom and cultural tolerance. Freedom and tolerance will always defeat tyranny and terrorism - and that's the great lesson of the 20th century, and we must not abandon it here in the 21st.

"Now I understand the impulse to find another location for the mosque and community center. I understand the pain of those who are motivated by loss too terrible to contemplate. And there are people of every faith - including, perhaps, some in this room - who are hoping that a compromise will end the debate.

"But it won't. The question will then become, how big should the 'no-mosque zone' be around the World Trade Center site? There is already a mosque four blocks away. Should it be moved?

"This is a test of our commitment to American values. We have to have the courage of our convictions. We must do what is right, not what is easy. And we must put our faith in the freedoms that have sustained our great country for more than 200 years.

"Now, I know that many in this room are disturbed and dispirited by the debate. But it's worth keeping some perspective on the matter. The first colonial settlers came to these shores seeking religious liberty and the founding fathers wrote a constitution that guaranteed it. They made sure that in this country government would not be permitted to choose between religions or favor one over another.  

"Nonetheless, it was not so long ago that Jews and Catholics had to overcome stereotypes and build bridges to those who viewed them with suspicion and less than fully American. In 1960, many Americans feared that John F. Kennedy would impose papal law on America. But through his example, he taught us that piety to a minority religion is no obstacle to patriotism. It is a lesson I think that needs updating today, and it is our responsibility to accept the challenge.

"Before closing, let me just add one final thought: Imam Rauf, who is now overseas promoting America and American values, has been put under a media microscope. Each of us may strongly agree or strongly disagree with particular statements that he has made. And that's how it should be - this is New York City.

"And while a few of his statements have received a lot of attention, I would like to read you something that he said that you may not have heard. At an interfaith memorial service for the martyred journalist Daniel Pearl, Imam Rauf said, quote, 'If to be a Jew means to say with all one's heart, mind, and soul: Shma` Yisrael, Adonai Elohenu Adonai Ehad; Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One, not only today I am a Jew, I have always been one.'

He then continued to say, 'If to be a Christian is to love the Lord our God with all of my heart, mind and soul, and to love for my fellow human being what I love for myself, then not only am I a Christian, but I have always been one.'

"In that spirit, let me declare that we in New York are Jews and Christians and Muslims, and we always have been. And above all of that, we are Americans, each with an equal right to worship and pray where we choose. There is nowhere in the five boroughs of New York City that is off limits to any religion.

"By affirming that basic idea, we will honor America's values and we will keep New York the most open, diverse, tolerant, and free city in the world. Thank you and enjoy."

Satar, Thanks, I would vote for Ron Paul. I agree with him on most things.  He was against the war in Iraq.

Bnai Jeshurun founded in 1825 was the second synagogue founded in NY

A message from the Rabbis of B'nai Jeshurun about Cordoba House/Park51 and a speech delivered by Inman Feisal Abdul Rauf at a memorial service at B'nai Jeshurun's 88th Street Sanctuary in February 2003, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the murder of Daniel Pearl. 

http://www.bj.org/2010/08/a-message-from-the-bj-rabbis-about-cordoba-house/

Mitch, Thank you. I would take right wing viral emails with a grain of salt, actually the whole shaker. It has not been reported in any credible news source. Right wing viral emails and blogs are filled with lies. They do not check sources. The blogs are picked up by right wing publications and quasi legitimate news outlets. A couple weeks ago it was all over the internet and cable TV that President Obama was spending $200 million a day on his trip to India. Some claimed that the Navy was dispatching 34 ships and an aircraft carrier to support the mission. They just make stuff up. It gets picked up and if it's repeated enough it must be true. Right? Wrong!

That is how the whole "ground zero mosque" controversy started in the first place. The NY Times and local NY papers and real estate publications reported the Burlington Coat factory building sale. It was reported it was going to be an islamic cultural center back in 2008. The community board meetings were covered . It was a non issue in Manhattan. Nobody cared. It became a nationwide issue because right wing blogger Pamela Geller called it "ground zero mosque" and it mushroomed to The NY Post and Fox and others. Since it was during an election cycle it played well in Alaska and Georgia or wherever. It wasn't an issue in NYC or NY state.

Senator Patrick Daniel Moynihan famously said: "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but not their own facts. Unfortunately the internet enables anyone with a laptop to publish anything and claim opinions are facts.

I'm not an expert on public funding. I do recall, George W Bush signed into law the "Faith Based Initiatives" allowing funding and government grants to religious organizations. They may be eligible under the Bush law "charitable choice."

Many NYC projects may be eligible for federal funding. NYC and the public/ private sector here will seek federal funding if their project is eligible. Oftent that is how great things get built in a great city. Public/private.

BTW: NY pays more in federal taxes than it receives in federal spending.