Under God

Wife of imam from Ground Zero center resists a new location

By Michelle Boorstein

The wife of the imam connected with the controversial downtown Manhattan Muslim center made what I believe are her most extensive public comments since the subject exploded, seemed to repeat her stance that moving the project - as some, including New York Gov. David Paterson, have suggested - would be a bad idea.

Khan spoke in an hour-long conference call organized by the Council on Foreign Relations and was asked in a couple different ways about the controversy the project has stirred up.

Asked if a fully interfaith worship center might be a better idea for the symbolic location-for example a church, mosque and synagogue sharing space-and Khan responded that such a thing was not what she and her husband, Sufi Imam Feisal Rauf had in mind. There are already many mosques and synagogues nearby, she said, noting that the proposed center would include a Sept. 11 memorial. However, she said when her husband returns from an overseas State Department-funded trip in a few weeks they will meet with interfaith leaders to discuss "what they think is the wise thing to do."

Later she was asked about Muslim-Americans who worry that the project will stir up discord, and Khan said the tension was "created by people who misconstrued our intent" in building the center, which would be near a mosque her husband has run for more than two decades. She said she believe the "failure" of the project could hurt Muslims in the United States and overseas.

Polls show the majority of Americans don't support the project at its current site near the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks, but many religious leaders and others have thrown support behind Khan and Rauf, saying they are concerned by the anti-Muslim wave now associated with opposition.

Muslim-Americans who have concerns about the center and even oppose it are speaking out a bit more. Khan was asked about what she was hearing from leaders in her faith community and she said only a small minority are encouraging her to consider moving the location.

By

Michelle Boorstein

 |  August 25, 2010; 4:13 PM ET  |  Category:  God in Government , Under God Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   Del.icio.us   StumbleUpon   Technorati  
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Apparently only Christians are entitled to have actual rights in the USA. Everyone else needs to be on lists, and will live, work and worship only where they think it's ok to do so.

Posted by: Nymous | August 26, 2010 12:19 PM
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Posted by: dseigler2 | August 26, 2010 12:19 PM
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More I read about Ms. Khan's lamentations, the more I am convinced that there is no place for their project. Please read the article hyper-linked below:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/08/malaysia_-_is_it_moderate_and_is_it_modern.html


I want to dare any of the sympathizer of the project to defend this type of moderation, that Ms Khan and her husband bring. It is not enough to mouth moderating homilies in the US, where theye are clearly a minority. What does this couple do with their so called influence n the islamic world. If you ask me, my guess is when they go to the OIC countries nobody give two hoots for them. If they espouse anything condemning what is happening in places like Malaysia, there will be fatwas against them. They are poser in the west and couple of spineless "chicken littles" over there. When we people like me stand up against the so called moderates and label them as enablers of extremists all the sympathizers come out of the wood works. Unless these, they take the stand and condemn these atrocities I have no sympathy for their causes. Their causes are only furthering the interests of islam towards world domination. Unless these US muslims willingly adopt the policy that they will boycott all these countries, including their Haj trips I say they are supporting apartheid. They are no different than teh Afrikaaner governments of south africa before FW De Klerk

How dare she claim that "... the "failure" of the project could hurt Muslims in the United States and overseas". What hurts muslims all over is the apartheid practices of their religion being assiduously being followed in 21st century.

Posted by: Secular | August 26, 2010 1:39 PM
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Mosque should not be built, because it will honor all the killers:
osama and his gang who conducted the 911 attacks & killed 3000, but also:
faisal shahzad the times square bomber
richard reid the shoe bomber
umar farouk abdulmutallab the underwear bomber
sirhan sirhan, killer of senator robert kennedy in 1968
fort hood killer-major nidal mlik hasan (killed 12, wounded 30 & survived)
USA Today article talks about the huge cost of Hasan's killings: Nine months after an Army psychiatrist was charged with fatally shooting 13 soldiers and wounding 30, the nation's largest Army post can measure the toll of war in the more than 10,000 mental health evaluations, referrals or therapy sessions held every month. Attacks and killings have cost USA big bucks--- lots of billions, lots of lives including a US senator, who could have been the president of USA.

Posted by: vk1537 | August 26, 2010 4:56 PM
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Some Americans feel it is OK to build and some don’t want it they feel it is dishonoring the victims and it would be a Victory building for the Muslims. I did some research to find out what American Muslims and Muslims from Israel are saying and of coarse a majority of American Muslims want this, In Israel there are some that feel it is a bad idea and there are some that love it, here is what some Israeli Muslims say ……… islam.maktoob.com/ramadan/qataeefShow/378

Dr. Abdel Muti Bayoumi, A member of the Islamic Research Academy at Al-Azhar "I reject the construction of a mosque in this place, because" mental cunning "you want to link between these events and Islam." ………

Dr safe Naseer, a professor of religion and philosophy at the University of Al Azhar, for refusing to build a mosque next to the World Trade Center, said, "to build a mosque on the rubble involves bad faith, and even if we close our eyes and close our minds and improve the likelihood, I hope there can be a step is truthful and not a new plot against Islam and Muslims………

Amal Al-Khatib: Victory of Islam and Muslims and Americans of humiliation and, God willing This is due The mosque to the Islamic Ummah's okay to the Islamic religion is great and will continue………

Osama El Saadawi: Welcome to build the mosque in this place to put pictures on the walls of the martyrs who
Kill Americans and Jews in all parts of the earth and I hope that Tsahm Wallpaper
Mosque………

Hassan Al Zoghbi: Approval of the Islamic project that I think such a large bad faith and especially the Jews
Control of the United States will not be liked and in this Anicol only (and they plot and Allah too plans; And God the best of planners) and it may turn against the magician and the magic is a large project For the benefit of Islam and Muslims, God, Amen. ………

( This is not the greatest translation but it showed me what I needed to see. At fist I was all for this building because Americans have lot enough constitutional rights. But now knowing that there are some Israeli’s just a few that I found with hardly looking. That they feel this building would be a victory for them. I ‘m now against this building no good will come of it. )

Posted by: lweternity | August 29, 2010 10:51 PM
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Some Americans feel it is OK to build and some don’t want it they feel it is dishonoring the victims and it would be a Victory building for the Muslims. I did some research to find out what American Muslims and Muslims from Israel are saying and of coarse a majority of American Muslims want this, In Israel there are some that feel it is a bad idea and there are some that love it, here is what some Israeli Muslims say ……… islam.maktoob.com/ramadan/qataeefShow/378
Dr. Abdel Muti Bayoumi, A member of the Islamic Research Academy at Al-Azhar "I reject the construction of a mosque in this place, because" mental cunning "you want to link between these events and Islam." ………
Dr safe Naseer, a professor of religion and philosophy at the University of Al Azhar, for refusing to build a mosque next to the World Trade Center, said, "to build a mosque on the rubble involves bad faith, and even if we close our eyes and close our minds and improve the likelihood, I hope there can be a step is truthful and not a new plot against Islam and Muslims………
Amal Al-Khatib: Victory of Islam and Muslims and Americans of humiliation and, God willing This is due The mosque to the Islamic Ummah's okay to the Islamic religion is great and will continue………
Osama El Saadawi: Welcome to build the mosque in this place to put pictures on the walls of the martyrs who
Kill Americans and Jews in all parts of the earth and I hope that Tsahm Wallpaper
Mosque………
Hassan Al Zoghbi: Approval of the Islamic project that I think such a large bad faith and especially the Jews
Control of the United States will not be liked and in this Anicol only (and they plot and Allah too plans; And God the best of planners) and it may turn against the magician and the magic is a large project For the benefit of Islam and Muslims, God, Amen. ………
( This is not the greatest translation but it showed me what I needed to see. At fist I was all for this building because Americans have lot enough constitutional rights. But now knowing that there are some Israeli’s just a few that I found with hardly looking. That they feel this building would be a victory for them. I ‘m now against this building no good

Posted by: lweternity | August 29, 2010 11:04 PM
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Some Americans feel it is OK to build and some don’t want it they feel it is dishonoring the victims and it would be a Victory building for the Muslims. I did some research to find out what American Muslims and Muslims from Israel are saying and of coarse a majority of American Muslims want this, In Israel there are some that feel it is a bad idea and there are some that love it, here is what some Israeli Muslims say ……… islam.maktoob.com/ramadan/qataeefShow/378
Dr. Abdel Muti Bayoumi, A member of the Islamic Research Academy at Al-Azhar "I reject the construction of a mosque in this place, because" mental cunning "you want to link between these events and Islam." ………
Dr safe Naseer, a professor of religion and philosophy at the University of Al Azhar, for refusing to build a mosque next to the World Trade Center, said, "to build a mosque on the rubble involves bad faith, and even if we close our eyes and close our minds and improve the likelihood, I hope there can be a step is truthful and not a new plot against Islam and Muslims………
Amal Al-Khatib: Victory of Islam and Muslims and Americans of humiliation and, God willing This is due The mosque to the Islamic Ummah's okay to the Islamic religion is great and will continue………
Osama El Saadawi: Welcome to build the mosque in this place to put pictures on the walls of the martyrs who
Kill Americans and Jews in all parts of the earth and I hope that Tsahm Wallpaper
Mosque………
Hassan Al Zoghbi: Approval of the Islamic project that I think such a large bad faith and especially the Jews
Control of the United States will not be liked and in this Anicol only (and they plot and Allah too plans; And God the best of planners) and it may turn against the magician and the magic is a large project For the benefit of Islam and Muslims, God, Amen. ………
( This is not the greatest translation but it showed me what I needed to see. At fist I was all for this building because Americans have lot enough constitutional rights. But now knowing that there are some Israeli’s just a few that I found with hardly looking. That they feel this building would be a victory for them. I ‘m now against this building no good

Posted by: lweternity | August 29, 2010 11:05 PM
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