Plan For The New Mosque
For most of the time since the Burlington Coat Factory store was damaged during the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, the building has been unused. Now there are plans to replace the 5-storey Burlington Coat Factory building, situated two blocks north of the World Trade Center, with a 13-storey mosque and Muslim community center. The plan to do so was approved on May 25 by Manhattan Community Board 1 by 29 votes to 1, with 10 abstentions. Although the Board’s approval is not necessary for the project to go ahead, it is seen as key to obtaining residents’ support. Board member Rob Townley described the plan as a “seed of peace”. He added, “We believe that this is a significant step in the Muslim community to counteract the hate and fanaticism in the minority of the community”.
Sponsors Of The Project
The Burlington Coat Factory building was bought in July 2009 by Soho Properties, a company run by Muslims, and since September 2009, it been used as an overflow prayer space for another mosque, whose spiritual leader is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the American Society of Muslim Advancement. At the time of the purchase, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf had said that purchasing the building “where a piece of the wreckage fell sends the opposite statement to what happened on 9/11”. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf also said, “We want to push back against the extremists”.
Reactions To The Project
New York Mayor Michael R Bloomberg has not voiced his personal comments but a spokesman for his office pointed out that if it is legal the building owner has the right to do what he wants, while the Mayor’s Director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, Fatima Shama, said. “We as New York Muslims have as much of a commitment to rebuilding New York as anybody else”.
However, Paul Sipos, a member of the New York Community Board, thinks the choice of site is insensitive. He said, “If the Japanese decided to open a cultural center across from Pearl Harbour, that would be insensitive. If the Germans opened a Bach choral society across from Auschwitz, even after all these years, that would be an insensitive setting. I have nothing against Islam. I just think, why here?”
Not surprisingly, the plan has upset families of victims of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, some of whom are angry at what they see as an “insult”, whereas others are fearful that it might be another meeting place for Muslim extremists. However, one man, Herbert Ouida, whose son died in the attack said, “I understand the anger, the bitterness and the hatred, but it only generates more hatred”. And Alice Hoagland, whose son, Mark Bingham, was killed in the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, said, “It’s quite a bold step buying a piece of land adjacent to Ground Zero,” but she said she considered plans for the site “a noble effort”. Nevertheless, a protest rally for June 6 is being planned by the Stop Islamisation of America (SIOA) group.
Who is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf?
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is an Arab-American imam, author, and an advocate for bridge-building between the Muslim world and the West. He has been imam of the Masjid Al-Farah Mosque in New York City since 1983. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf founded the American Society for the Advancement of Islam in 1997, and the Cordoba Initiative in 2003. This Cordoba Initiative is a non-profit organization with offices in New York and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some of its projects emphasise the bond between the Muslim world and the West. Another project is the Shariah Index Project, which rates nations according to how closely they adhere to the principles of Islam. After the 9/11 incident Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf conducted training sessions for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help them reach out to Muslims.
Nevertheless, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s motives have recently been questioned by Walid Shoebat, who claims to be a former Islamic terrorist but who has since the 9/11 attack become an ardent advocate against Islamicism and a supporter of Israel. Walid Shoebat alleges that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s real aim is to infiltrate Sharia law into every nation. Walid Shoebat bases his allegations on Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s views as expressed in Arabic in the Arabic press.
Think About It
Is the plan to build a mosque near Ground Zero a bold initiative that will send an “opposite statement to what happened on 9/11”, or will it only be salt rubbed into old wounds? Or even a target for anti-Muslim attacks? Is expression of bitterness and hatred the way to react to the plan, or might that only fuel fanaticism and terrorism? Would it be better for non-Muslims to win Muslims over by building bridges of love?
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