9/11 Victim's Sister: Mayor Bloomberg Is A "Disgrace"

Photograph of an anti-mosque protester from last Sunday's rally by sabotai on Flickr

Mayor Bloomberg has repeatedly defended the proposed plans for a community center with a mosque to be built at 45-47 Park Place (the current home of a former Burlington Coat Factory store), reiterating America's founding principles of religious tolerance. But his support of the Park 51 project has upset those who feel a mosque, even one two blocks from the World Trade Center site, is provocative and insensitive. Debra Burlingame, the sister of a pilot who died on September 11, 2001 when his plane crashed into the Pentagon, says that Bloomberg is "a disgrace." Yes, a disgrace.

Burlingame is a board member of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum, as well as a board member of Keep America Safe (fellow board members: Bill Kristol, Liz Cheney) and took offense to Bloomberg saying on the Daily Show, "The family members that I’ve talked to -- and I’m chairman of the board of The World Trade Center Memorial -- 100% in favor of saying these people who want to build a mosque, can build a mosque, that the lives of our loved ones were taken because the right to build a mosque or to say what you want to say was so threatening to people." Politico's Ben Smith published an email she sent complaining about the mayor; here's an excerpt:

Mr. Bloomberg has now crossed the line from merely supporting the mosque to participating in a public campaign aimed at silencing its critics. He has improperly invoked private conversations of 9/11 family board members who, unfortunately, are all too aware of his power, both as chair of the foundation which will memorialize their loved ones and as mayor of a city where that memorial will be built. He is recklessly wreaking havoc among families, running from media event to radio interview to photo op to Comedy Central gagfest, shamelessly hawking this narrative that we, those whose family members were the true victims of religious intolerance, must also carry the burden of proving we're not intolerant. He's a disgrace.

Guess who else is in trouble? Governor Paterson for saying that the Park 51 developers are "Westernized Muslim," not like Shiite Muslims, who happen to be the second largest branch of Muslims. And know who used to be in trouble? The Daily News reports the mosque's developer Sharif El-Gamal has had "at least seven run-ins with the law, including a bust for patronizing a prostitute." His most recent arrest was in 2005 when he, his brother, and another man assaulted a man when they were collecting back rent from a man subletting his brother's apartment: "El-Gamal allegedly cursed at [Mark] Vassiliev, called him the Arabic curse word "sharmouta" and punched him in the face, breaking his nose and cheekbones." El-Gamal, 37, told the News, "I regret many things that I did in my youth. I have not always led a perfect life."

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By Jen Chung in News on August 28, 2010 3:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Potty Boy

You know what? The more that comes out about the imam and the money man behind the project (see today's Post article) the more it seems like these guys are regular, normal greedy people of questionable morals. They're more concerned about making a quick buck, and not concerned about religious zealotry. These are the last kind of people we should be worried about.

theevilone

Is she aware that the Pentagon has a place for Muslims to worship - inside the Pentagon? Maybe they should move the Pentagon to somewhere else too.

icandunk

While I agree with the mayor (and thus, most of the emotional posts on this blog), I can't see what benefit there was in citing 9/11 families to support his rationale. With such a diverse group stretching into the hundreds of thousands, 9/11 family members are obviously going to have a wide aray of opinions. This is the kind of stuff that has the appearance of almost a kind of taunting to those who are on the other side of the issue- people who happen to have suffered a very deep loss. Our point is that American law and values support religious freedom. Let's stick to that and leave these other points to the demagogues, talking heads, and race baiters.

Mordicai

Speaking reason? Where...why...how are you commenting on Gothamist? I thought they screened out everybody who wasn't a troll. You are on point.

icandunk

While I agree with the mayor (and thus, most of the emotional posts on this blog), I can't see what benefit there was in citing 9/11 families to support his rationale. With such a diverse group stretching into the hundreds of thousands, 9/11 family members are obviously going to have a wide aray of opinions. This is the kind of stuff that has the appearance of almost a kind of taunting to those who are on the other side of the issue- people who happen to have suffered a very deep loss. Our point is that American law and values support religious freedom. Let's stick to that and leave these other points to the demagogues, talking heads, and race baiters.

Regina

Ms. Burlingame calling Bloomberg a disgrace is typical of "victims" refusing to spend intensive time in therapy (or with clergy) to move out of victimhood to survivor mode. As a nation, we cannot take a time out from the Constitution just because of the melodrama of people held together only by scar tissue.

Forgive and forget, Ms. Burlingame. This high maintenance emotionalism of your ilk only adds to a very pressing flaw of this nation. Disproportionate response. Our military has killed thousands of innocents in response to 9/11. Our response to Pearl Harbor ended in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is immoral, shameful, and backward. An eye for an eye, fine. But a two legs for a ear? What gives?

If our so-called Christian nation cannot turn the other cheek and love thy enemy, then we have no moral authority, much less superiority, over non Christians, er... un-Americans.

This mentality exhibited today is so Old Testament. NYC might as well be Jerusalem.

Give it up folks. This obsession with pain, slights, and injury is toxic and playing into the hands of all men focused on terror.

Instead, go read a book to your child, make a lovely dish of baklava, or walk that dog of yours.

The best revenge is not the return punch, but acting as if you are unfazed and living life as "you would have had." There is dignity and healing in that.

Gandhi, Jesus, and many heroic Jews of the Holocaust did so. Now, if the media was doing its job, we would hear of many peace-loving Muslims taking the high road too.

No one group has a monopoly on harmonious co-existence. Yet, is seems so sadly elusive.

Gratitude, Ms. Burlingame. Why don't you focus on that instead? Bloomberg has succeeded at so many monumental tasks that he really is quite amazing. Heroic even.

John L

I agree and thought your writing was great right until the end, I can't stand Bloomberg. But the rest was right on point. We cannot succumb to fear or hate because if we do then they really win.

Mordicai

WAIT A MINUTE!

BURLINGAME...

...BURLINGTON?

I SMELL A CONSPIRACY.

She's obviously park of the Burlington Coat Factory heirs, or maybe just a fan, who actually WANTS the historical status for the Burlington Coat Factory. She doesn't has Muslims at all-- she just loves fine overcoats at bargain prices!

potsmoker

help me out here, as far as i can tell a plane didnt hit the pentagon, that no wreckage thing and clean grass doesnt help, by the way that one in PA is strange too,,,an entire plane got sucked into the ground???

wierd?

exnyer

I can help you out......you are a fucking idiot. a 400,000lb Boeing 767 nosediving at 500mph+++ there ain`t going to be a whole lot left for you to identify. I wish fucking idiots like you were on board instead of the victims.

unretrofiedforu

Don't worry, we wish far worse things to happen to conservative kook fucks like yourself, asswipe.

potsmoker

http://buildingwhat.org/

potsmoker

well help me out, google airplane crash?

you mean 500 mph means the plane disappears into the ground? only in the soft PA area?

http://buildingwhat.org/

John L

I do agree with her Bloomberg is a disgrace but on this issue, I have to admit, he's 100% right.

I think Bloomberg did it more so Obama would play golf with him this weekend and they could talk about more pressing issues like "economic growth" which in reality is Bloomberg's one and only concern or issue.

http://gothamist.com/2010/08/28/bloomberg_plays_golf_with_obama_tal.php?gallery0Pic=1#gallery

TheTruthYouSeek

FUCK THE 9/11 FAMILIES THAT ALWAYS KEEP RUNNING THEIR FUCKIN MOUTHS LIKE THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT HAVE EVER KNOWN PEOPLE THAT DIED