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August 3rd, 2010
10:14 AM ET
Panel denies landmark status for Islamic center and mosque site near ground zeroFrom CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff in New York: New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission denied landmark status Tuesday for a building at the site of a proposed Islamic center and mosque near ground zero. The commissioners voted unanimously against landmark status for 45-47 Park Place. It and an adjoining building are owned by real estate developer Soho Properties, which intends to build an Islamic center two blocks north of the former site of the World Trade Center. While the public vote was the focus of much debate about the planned Islamic center and mosque, the commission could not have prevented the developers from building such a community center. The commission, by designating the building a landmark, could only have prevented Soho Properties from demolishing the building or significantly altering its exterior. There is a prayer site in the building currently, so Muslims are peacefully praying in the building already. "We will continue going forward with the project. It's a project that will build bridges," said Oz Sultan, spokesman for the Cordoba Initiative, the organization behind the planned center. It says the group is "committed to promoting positive interaction between the Muslim world and the West." Cordoba opposed landmark status for the five-story building because it would like to build a taller, modern building. "It's not minarets," said Sultan, who described a mock-up of the proposed center as consistent with the latest architecture found in New York City. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other city leaders support the Islamic center. Opponents, including former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, have argued against a mosque being so close to the scene of the nation's worst terrorist attack. "Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. Pls reject it in interest of healing," Palin said last month on her Twitter account. The Anti-Defamation League, an organization that battles anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry, is asking that the Islamic center and mosque be built farther away from ground zero in consideration of families who lost loved ones during the September 11, 2001, attacks. "Building an Islamic Center in the shadow of the World Trade Center will cause some victims more pain - unnecessarily - and that is not right," the organization said in a written statement. The Landmarks Preservation Commission pointed out prior to its decision that it would have nothing to do with the planned use of the structure. "The purpose of tomorrow's vote is to decide whether the building has a special character or special historical or aesthetic interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of New York City, New York state or the nation," commission spokeswoman Elisabeth de Bourbon said Monday. Most recently the home of a Burlington Coat Factory retailer, 45-47 Park Place was completed in 1858. The Landmarks Commission described it as "a prominent example of the store and loft structures that dominated the dry goods warehouse districts of Lower Manhattan" during the era. soundoff (1,819 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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The very name “Cordoba Initiative” perhaps reveals the actual intent of this Islamic center. When the Muslims conquered Cordoba in the 7th century they built a large mosque on the site of a Christian cathedral they had demolished. Islam did this in Mecca and Medina and built the Dome of the Rock and its Al Aqsa mosque precisely on the site of the Jews' holy temple in Jerusalem.
The intent seems to be to erect yet another Muslim victory monument near the ashes of the WTC.
This is evidenced by the “spiritual leader” of the initiative, the Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who, rather than “building bridges”, seems to be a fundamentalist Muslim interested in burning them. After 9/11 he said “United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened” and he refuses to condemn the mass murdering Hamas terror organization that targets civilians and celebrates their murder.
We are in a war with radical Islam and as such it is necessary at times to suspend ordinary liberties – particularly allowing an enemy monument, propaganda and recruitment center to rise at our nation’s financial capital and particularly where such a structure will encourage new terrorist wannabes and bring pain to many survivors and next of kin to the fallen.
Look at the picture. The proposed site has graffiti's and is pretty run down. Suddenly if someone tries to improve it and build something new, everyone starts to call it sacred. Give me a break.
DId you notice that they are calling it Operation "Cordoba"? The "Great Mosque of Cordoba" is in Cordoba, Spain. It is the site where, when the Muslims conqured Spain, they destroyed the Christian church that was at that location and built the mosque in its place. Our own laws are allowing them to insult us and spit in the faces of the families of 9/11 victims, and we are too weak to do anything about it! I am disappointed.
burn baby burn
Don't worry, some "Christian" will fly a plane into it if it's ever built. Or walk in and shoot a bunch of children in Christ's name.
And how many past instances do we have of those who claim Christianity flying planes into buildings?
You'd think they'd do unitarian based program or somethin' if they were really serious about whatevar bullmess they were spewing about healing and unity and whatevar...
all that said tho, Muslims, Chrisitans, Jewish folk, Gypsies, that one really strange guy who worships David Bowie, and agnostics or whatevar....they're all people and in our country can buy land.if someone wants to ignite moar bullmess...start a church close to theirs. anyways...do you actually see people not picketing this and causing EVEN MOAR of a stink?
I suppose all that to say is this. I don't really care what they do. No one building can fix all your problems and bring the dead back. Just be mindful and move on. Let whatever faith carry you through whatever level of crisis this is...
I loathe idiocy. Those who want to build a mosque have every right. Being allowed to do so does not disrespect the memory of those who perished on September 11th. We must never forget, but we must move on as a nation, and we must do it together (white, black, Christian, Muslim, etc.). We spend too much time with our fear, living in the shadows of ignorance and shame. It’s time we educate ourselves on the facts, instead of always grasping onto sound bites and hearsay. People, it’s time to rise above it all! You are not the only one, and you never were. If you can’t coexist with the white, black, Asian, Hispanic, anorexic, obese, young, old, Christian, catholic, Muslim, super pretty, the butt ugly, dumb, intelligent, and the list goes and on and on – then get the hell out of dodge because you’ll never make it in this world, and you are only bringing the rest of us down.
PRETTY SIMPLE IF YOU ASK ME, WHEN IT COMES TIME TO START BUILDING ALL OF THE CONTRACTORS JUST WALK AWAY. LET THEM SPEND ALL THEY WANT TO SURVEY AND DRAW UP PLANS BUT WHEN IT COMES TIME TO START BREAKING GROUND????? HEAVY EQUIPMENT ( NO DRIVERS ) MATERIALS ( NO DRIVERS ) LABORERS ( SORRY EVERYONE IS ON BREAK. THERES MORE THAN ONE WAY TO STOP SOMETHING THAT IS VERY VERY INSULTING. IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE WORK THAT WOULD NEED TO BE DONE WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE BY AMERICANS.......... LETS STAND UNITED LIKE WE DID WHEN THE TOWERS CAME DOWN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's my suggestion: Don't allow the building to serve as a muslim oriented community center because it's in poor taste, and while we're at it we should demolish all christian churches built on stolen sacred land (all of the U.S.) for the same reason out of respect for the Native Americans... Hypocrites
(BTW calling it a mosque is the same as calling the YMCA a church)
And in the interests of tolerance and diversity, why don't we build a Confederate war museum a few blocks from the MLK birth home?
another stupid thing that is being allowed...Muslims say that they are peaceful but I dont see that..the radical followers of that faith have caused soo much worldly crimes etc..bombings etc..and to give them a "sacred" place where they have killed thousands!! REALLY! I saw someone post that Muslims build Mosques on conquered territory...well this might become the case. England and France are becoming more and more Islamic...and now the US? lets let these devestators in our country and our home to creat havoc and destroy what is left of our country...women..look out you will lose all of your rights...I wish that us AMERICANS would wake up and see what is coming down the road...it doesnt look pretty....and we thought the Civil War was bad ...we will pobably be down that road again in the future..I feel sorry for all of the children that wont have the freedoms that we still have left today..they are shrinking like our economy...and when I was young and growing up I looked up to the politicians and people that stood for AMERICA and now I fel sometimes ashamed of that...and all of our service men and women that fight for our freedom ..only to see it dwindlw away at home....WE NEED "CHANGE"...WILL YOU HELP? ONLY US AS CITIZENS CAN PUSH FOR WHAT WE NEED>>God Give us strength to make it through this time and put us on the road to a better way...doesnt matter what religion you are but we should keep the radical religions out and try to protect the little we have left!
stupid panels and stupid people.
and stupids brad.
This is just crazy,what were they thinking when they voted yes, i don't like palin but this time she has a point.
MR. BLOOMBERGS REQUEST, CLEARED THE WAY FOR A 125 YEAR OLD BUILDING TO BE DEMOLISHED SO THEY CAN BUILD THEIR MONUMENT TO MURDER AND USA PC STUPIDITY. SHARIA LAW WILL BE TAUGHT THERE AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SHARIA IS, "IT PREACHES THERE IS NO OTHER RELIGION BUT MUSLIM BELIEF AND EVERYONE WHO IS A NON-BELIEVER THAT DOES NOT CONVERT MUST BE KILLED! THANKS MR. MAYOR....YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO EVERY JEW LIVING AND DEAD! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE MEMORY OF 3,000 POOR SOULS WHO PERISHED ON 9-11...YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO EVERY TRUE AMERICAN, YOU, THE JEW, WHO PREACHES ONE SHOULD NEVER FORGET THE HOLOCAUST, HAS OBVIOUSLY FORGOTTEN BOTH THE HOLOCAUST AND YOU WERE BORN A JEW!
PETE
PS I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN COMMENTS, SPECIFICALLY MY JEWISH FRIENDS OUT THERE!
Ground zero should be a memorial for those Americans that died that day.
What a joke. Some of you guys on this board have the nerve to call themselves "Christian". Well I can tell you that your not acting like one. You are classifying all Muslims as terrorists. Majority of them aren't terrorists and Islam deserves respect just like Judaism and Christianity. Religious tolerance is really what is lacking from us Christians on this board.
Actually not terrorists but hipocrits. If a christian priest starts preaching about the evils of America he would be thrown out by his own congregation. A muslim can get away with it. The muslims control the governments in the middle east which is why christianity is suppressed there.
It's interesting that Americans seem so intent on connecting the Muslims that populate the United States with those who flew planes into the two towers. Admit it: you hate this idea because you hate Muslims, and now have a reason to express your bigotry without fear of reprisal. I hope this serves as a reminder that hatred, bigotry, and intolerance have not died in this nation. You all are pathetic!
lol @ Ana. Those last statments really cracked me up!
Seems they won the war if NY voluntarily builds this. I ask the citizens: Why was I deployed for three years? Why did you mobilize me if you don't want to win this war?
My only objection – which won't count for much since I do not live anywhere near the city – is that the public should know where the money is coming from. Last I heard, that information was not being given out to the people, whether they were for or against the masque and community center being built. Other than that it's my opinion that tolerance on both sides of the fence is a must and the longer we wait for that, I think, the more pain, grief or even resentment and anger can grow. The people responsible from the 9/11 attacks – which aren't just limited to the Trade Centers (a somewhat fact that I feel i should point out, though doing it may offend) – were extremists. There are extremists in every religion, but I don't see us trying to limit where other religions can practice faith – nor or I see people holding public forums to debate where other houses of worship should be built. My greatest fear is that they will build the masque and someone will attempt to burn or deface the masque and/or the community center.
Why is Sarah Palin one of the top commentators about everything in the news? How many years did it take her to get one degree in journalism? SIX YEARS How many schools did she attend to get that one degree? FIVE SCHOOLS So why is it so important that we hear what she has to say ad naseum?