"Ground Zero" Mosque Combatants Still Holding Media Hostage

It's day whatever in the "Ground Zero" mosque debate crisis, and the perpetrators still refuse to release their hostages: the members of the media—clearly suffering from Stockholm Syndrome—who show no signs of even wanting to be rescued from the repetitive prison of this manufactured non-story. But to be fair, our captors have been so good to us, feeding us a daily supply of increasingly delicious pull quotes from right-wing demagogues. Today there's even more comments from the Mayor of 9/11 Town himself, Rudolph Giuliani!

"This project is creating tremendous pain for people who've already made the ultimate sacrifice," opined Giuliani during an interview with Matt Lauer. "All you're doing is creating more division, more anger, more hatred. I know some people who are crying over this." How come the Constitution has to be so damn insensitive? (Here's video of the interview.) And one unexpected voice to join the anti-mosque chorus is failed presidential wannabe Howard Dean, who told WBAI, "That site doesn’t belong to any particular religion." Yes, and to keep the old Burlington Coat Factory a bastion of secularism, Dean thinks "another site would be a better idea... but I would look to do that with the cooperation of the people who are trying to build the mosque."

Meanwhile, a reporter over at ABC finds that the developer of the proposed Islamic community center will not rule out accepting funding from overseas sources, including Saudi Arabia and Iran. (The developer also refuses to rule out turning the mosque into an anchor baby orphanage.) Oz Sultan, a spokesman for the center, now called Park51, would not comment on raising the expected $100 million from Middle East donors, but did say, "We'll look at all available options within the United States to start. We're hoping to fund this predominately from domestic donors."

The imam who will preside over Park51, Feisal Abdul Rauf, is headed overseas as part of a three-nation Middle East tour on behalf of the State Department. A State Department official says cost of the trip is $16,000. He's prohibited from raising money for the proposed center during his trip, but the topic is sure to come up, as he is expected to give speeches about Muslim life in America and religious tolerance. In an interview with Capital New York, the former Pakistani ambassador to the UK, Akbar S. Ahmed, said the controversy is just strengthening the Taliban, because "the mosque and the controversy that’s surrounding it right now is of such huge proportions that it is unlikely that any Muslim who’s following the news is going to ignore commenting... In the Muslim world they see this as just a mosque and it is being attacked."

And it's also being reported today that this whole mess can be traced back to reality TV. The Park Place location that will house the Islamic center was discovered by a young man who was hired by developer Sharif el-Gamal, who spotted him on an episode of "American Inventor." "I saw him on TV and I like him," el-Gamal tells the Daily News, explaining that in 2006 he hired Francisco Patino, a Colombian immigrant who was 19 at the time, to scout out properties for the Islamic community center. Now 23, Patino has thus far been silent on whether he thinks the mosque will make a mockery of 9/11, but he's asking his bosses at Chase bank for permission to speak to the media. Developing!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on August 19, 2010 1:20 PM

Comments [rss]

Dukewheatly

If these Muslims are insensitive enough to build a mosque on the site where so many people died on 9/11 then we should be insensitive enough to tell them to build it elsewhere. Is there some reason that all these lawmakers in Congress that have expressed outrage can't get together and designate this area a national park? Would this solve the dilemma?

l3iodeez

"If these Muslims are insensitive enough to build a mosque on the site where so many people died on 9/11 then we should be insensitive enough to tell them to build it elsewhere."

If by "we" you mean the government and by "tell them" you mean force them, then this statement is directly in contradiction to the founding principles of this country.

(If not it is so much hot air, tell them what you like, and they can ignore you.)

Thankfully the founders anticipated that there would be jokers like you and so we have the bill of rights to protect us from people who want to oppress anyone who doesn't agree with your idea of what is proper.

exnyer

All opinions in get this...Islamist Radicals Hate/Despise America, obviously they will do whatever it takes to inflict pain on America, 911, they take their time 1993, 2001 to finish a job, they live among us [Times Square Bomber] and they will keep trying.........you will never know what hit you when they are successful....Madrid, Central London......SO WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!

JenChungsBaby

Yes, because clearly any terrorist group wishing to strike New York would want to first attract termendous international media attention to itself. Makes sense to me.

exnyer

The IRA terrorized the British people for many years by planting bombs all over London and calling in the locations minutes b/4 the blast........it`s why you will not find a trash container on any London street. Terror lives inside the mind, the media exposure gives it a boost. That`s why they love NYC

unretrofiedforu

Dumb*ss. They're building a building not petty-terrorizing with small bombs. Learn to think on your own for once.

Tricksta

To the tune of Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder's "Ebony and Ivory":

All together now...

"Muslim folks, and Christians too

Pray in much the same way as any Jew

And they all mind their own damn business with this

Why can't yooooooouuuuuuuuu?"

Potty Boy

Well done, Maestro.

ItchyGoiter

Unfortunately for supporters (I am one), the websites of the Park51 project and the Cordoba Initiative give conflicting information as to whether it is a mosque or simply a prayer room. As of a couple of days ago, the Cordoba Initiative site calls it a "dedicated prayer space (mosque) (http://www.cordobainitiative.o..., and the Park51 site (http://www.park51.org/faciliti... specifically says that it will include a mosque.

So, that cannot be argued, unless they change the websites or clarify what they mean by "prayer room" and "mosque."

Guest

"(I am one)"

i am 3.

Number 6: Where am I?

Number 2: In the Village.

Number 6: What do you want?

Number 2: We want information.

Number 6: Whose side are you on?

Number 2: That would be telling. We want information... information... information.

Number 6: You won't get it.

Number 2: By hook or by crook, we will.

Number 6: Who are you?

Number 2: The new Number 2.

Number 6: Who is Number 1?

Number 2: You are Number 6.

Number 6: I am not a number, I am a free man.

l3iodeez

OMG +1000000000000 for The prisoner references

EastRiver

"Ground Zero" Mosque Combatants Still Holding Media Hostage

The "mosque" is holding Gothamist hostage. Your perfect storm of a story would be if Rudy left the Today Show studios, picked up Sarah Palin and went to Shake Shack. And along the way they ran over some geese.

wonderunder1

"This project is creating tremendous pain for people who've already made the ultimate sacrifice"

Really? The ultimate sacrifice is to have died, to have 'given your life for your country.' Those people have moved beyond pain.

Roody is starting to form sentences that make as much sense as those squeezed out the body part known as Sarah Palin.

Gregoire

No, Rolltide, it kills people with common sense that a person that showed leadership on 9.11 then chose to go on a decade-long tour singing his one greatest hit, devaluing himself and insulting New Yorkers.

Potty Boy

Uh, that's actually an apt metaphor, though not in the way you intended. Audiences always want the one-hit wonders to sing their one hit, and won't go away happy until they do.

Homer2323

It kills liberals that Rudy was the Mayor on 9/11 and showed leadership, as Barry shows none. There couldnt be a clearer contrast in leadership.

Oh, and the city you live in now? You can thank him and Bratton as well.

JenChungsBaby

He really just wants to turn the site into his new emergency command center.

Ishtar

Leadership? That clown stood on a mountain of rubble with a bull horn. Leadership during 9/11? That actually belongs to the head of the FDNY and the other heads of agencies charged with dealing with this.

Mordicai

He's America's Mayor of 9-11!

TheTruthYouSeek

Non-story to YOU, Gothamist, a site of nothing.

MOST of NY according to all polls do not think this mosque should be going up.

I happen to agree with your stance, but stop acting like everyone does.

Fake news site.

l3iodeez

Thankfully this is America and most New Yorkers are shit out of luck.

To hell with freedom of religion, long live private property rights!

hungryghoast

a) polls in the country and NY State are against the project, polls in NYC are about even or in favor of it

b) in those polls, was it clearly worded and explained that this is a community center, not a mosque?

c) in those polls was it clearly worded and explained that this project is not AT ground zero and is actually a couple blocks away?

d) regardless of polls, this is a land use issue and a rights issue. rasputinsghost says "What part of RIGHT do you not understand?" If i had to guess I would say you don't understand any of it. It's pretty simple, but you still don't get it.

e) Should we not do good and should we refuse to do good things simply because of popular opinion? If popular opinion said, for instance, "Kill this innocent man." do you think that'd be alright?

finally, How is Gothamist pretending that everyone agrees with them? Where is that indicated here? They seem happy to mock bigots (as would I), regardless of who agrees.

TheTruthYouSeek

"manufactured non-story"

My point was to THEM it's a non-story (although they are writing about it) because THEY agree with it.

Guest

i think i've figured this out: so which blog do you work for?

rasputinsghost

I wonder when right wing bigots decided we needed to vote on things that are RIGHTS?

Gay marriage. Freedom of religion.

What part of RIGHT do you not understand?

And guess what, the community board voted it in. So the people it actually affects don't give a shit if it exists.

So shut up already.

Madly Hatting

I wonder if they'll park their cars in bike lanes during prayer.

Gregoire

At this point, I'm all for them moving the community center to, say, across the street from Fox News on 6th Avenue and visible from their studio windows.