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Plan for Mosque Next to Ground Zero in NYC Moves Forward

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From NPR News Blog:

A neighborhood advisory board in Manhattan last night gave its unanimous approval to plans for construction of a $100 million mosque on a site next to Ground Zero — where nearly 3,000 people died when the World Trade Center towers came down after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Wall Street Journal writes that “the project is driven in part by the needs of a growing Muslim population in Lower Manhattan. The nearest existing Islamic prayer space, the Tribeca Mosque, has been holding three evening prayer services on Fridays to keep up with demand.”

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The Journal interviewed Daisy Kahn, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, and writes that:

“When Kahn’s organization found a vacant property on Park Place, the former site of a Burlington Coat Factory that had been damaged by airplane debris on September 11, 2001, the potent symbolism of the site also became a compelling rationale for the project. ‘We decided we wanted to look at the legacy of 9/11 and do something positive,’ she explained in an interview. Her group represents moderate Muslims who want ‘to reverse to trend of extremism and the kind of ideology that the extremists are spreading’.”

According to the New York Daily News:

“No one at last night’s (community board) meeting protested the project. But some 9/11 families said they found the proposal offensive because the terrorists who launched the attacks were Muslim.”

‘I realize it’s not all of them, but I don’t want to have to go down to a memorial where my son died on 9/11 and look at a mosque,’ said retired FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Riches — whose son Jim, a firefighter, was killed on 9/11.”

NY Times: Muslim Prayers Fuel Spiritual Rebuilding Project By Ground Zero

CNN: Mosque to go up near New York’s ground zero

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Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.

Ify Okoye is a Muslim woman, a convert, born and raised in the U.S. She is from New York and her parents are from Nigeria. Despite the petty hassles of work and school, Ify finds time to travel usually for AlMaghrib Institute seminars and to visit beautiful places. Pronunciation primer for her name, say it like this: E-fee O-coy-yeah!

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. shuayb

    May 29, 2010 at 12:08 PM

    it depends what they mean by moderate muslim, as if their is such a thing as an “extreamist muslim” Islam is a moderate religion, do they mean that when they say moderate??????????????????

  2. Naim Rahman

    July 21, 2010 at 5:19 PM

    It’s a community center, where everyone of every faith is more than welcome to learn about the peacefulness of Islam- that it is not a religion of violence and radical acts of terrorism. These terrorists have scarred Islam, and religion in general, and where is the harm in trying to portray the beautiful true nature of Islam in a place that was destroyed by misguided people.

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