Manhattan, NY – Tonight, Manhattan’s Community Board 1 will be considering a proposal by an organization called the Cordoba Initiative to build a multi-faith community and cultural center at 45-51 Park Place.
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I generally do not offer my views on pending business before the borough’s community boards.
However, I have decided to make an exception with respect to this matter because I believe that the controversy over the proposed community center holds great significance for the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan and for our city’s long term response to the 9/11 attack.
The stated purpose of the proposed center is “to establish a vibrant and world-class facility in New York City which will promote tolerance and pluralism.” The center has been the subject of bigoted attacks that contain a strain of religious and racial hatred more extreme than anything we have seen in New York City for some time. In recent days, a Tea Party leader has attacked Islam and has also singled me out personally with attacks on my Jewish faith. This man has made it his mission to spread lies, divide society, and sow the seeds of bigotry.
His words are an assault on people of all faiths and religions.
I also want to make clear that the fact that a Tea Party leader has tried to use the Cordoba Initiative’s proposal to advance his bigoted agenda should in no way diminish the weight given to the views of surviving families of 9/11 victims regarding the use of this building on Park Place. The former World Trade Center site and the immediately surrounding area is a place forever linked to the most painful and intense emotions. We must always give those feelings our fullest respect.
Supporters of the new community and cultural center say it will be a venue where multi-faith dialogue serves to unite the Lower Manhattan community and to replace misconceptions with mutual understanding.
I for one never want to see our country or our city abandon religious tolerance as the result of an act of violence, even one as unspeakable as the 9/11 attacks.
The members of Community Board 1 must shoulder the serious responsibility of weighing these various concerns, as well as practical and legal considerations such as the unresolved landmark status of the building in question. I have every confidence that their deliberations tonight will be thoughtful and principled, and will once again give us reason to be proud of Community Board 1.
Why are people arguing over putting a mosque or shul or hare krishna temple at the WTC site? They haven’t even begun building anything there. Larry Silverstein is too busy running to court trying to earn more money off the “attacks”. It has been almost ten years and there has been more development in the city than at the WTC site.
Does anyone know where the mosk is now temporarily?
I for one was downtown on 9/11 and lost friends and have other friends permanently disfigured, not to mention those mentally injured by the horrors of that day. I don’t mind such a center, but not there; it is just too close and too soon. I occasionally still have nightmares about that day.
How a I supposed to forget tripping over a sneaker that still had a foot and ankle in it on my way out of the area, or of attending a friend’s funeral when they finally found DNA evidence of his actually having been there,even though there was plenty of other evidence.
After Pearl Harbor Japanese Americans were interned in camps here. I’m not advocating that, but this is too much too soon too close.
“The stated purpose of the proposed center is “to establish a vibrant and world-class facility in New York City which will promote tolerance and pluralism.”
By whom, by the same people who spread hate a terror all over the world? Islam is religion that promotes intolerance and terror and Stringer is a traitor by to people of all faiths by supporting this.
No, not every single Muslim is a terrorist, but the major institutions and countries do and this is building one more of those institutions. The Muslims have no Noam Chumsky’s or for that matter a Stringer. They barely speak out against their own.
I do not consider myself to be a bigot, but I respectfully disagree with Mr. Stringer’s position.
I would be far more impressed with the Muslim world if they chose to build a “vibrant and world-class Christian, Jewish — or even Muslim — facility in a Muslim city, so as to “promote tolerance and pluralism.” NYC is already among the most tolerant and pluralistic cities in the world. The same cannot be said for the cities of the Muslim world where intolerence is a very mild word for what really happens there.
NYC was a victim of Muslim intolerance and the 9/11 memorial is enough of a reminder of the need to promote tolerance and pluralism. It is the height of arrogance and chutzpah for any Muslim to ask for this.
#1 – You are so correct. The embarrassment is not the mosque but rather that it has been a decade and it’s still a whole in the ground. Mosque or not – the terrorists won this round.
Building a mosque at the WTC site is like building a catholic church at aushwitz. It’s an insult to the families of the victims and to all of NYC. I don’t know this idiot Stringer but by all appearances he’s another lefty-liberal Jewish sellout. Maybe if they build it he’ll go pray there with his multifaith community.
These liberal-lefty touchy-feely interfaith-dialoguing diversity preaching sellouts kill me. They never seem to understand that just because THEY don’t take religion seriously that the other guys maybe DO. Muslims (including the guy behind this mosque) are only interested in dialogue as a means to an end — the subjugation of the entire world to sharia law. All of islam holds by this concept. The only debate between “extremists” and “moderates” is whether or not to use violence to get there.
But you can’t tell Stringer that. He’s to busy celebrating “hug an imam” day
P.S. Ya gotta love the pic with the kippa that he obviously stole from the bin when visiting a “temple” — for a bar mitzvah or some other event — that he otherwise would never be caught dead in. This way we know he’s “authentic”
I can not understand the twisted logic of Mr Stringer. If this were to be a church of any denomination it would be a non issue, however a muslim mosque ?. please dont forget when a muslim suicide bomber blows himself up and also kills innocent citizens, the father and mother of the bomber open their house for visitors with a party for the matyr. You can use your own imagination how foolish it is to permit this religion next to the WTC.
A mosque is entitled to the same treatment and respect as a shul or church. This is a non-issue and even if the politicians make a stupid decision based on pandering to the emotional appeals of the 9/11 families, the courts will overturn their decision so fast, it won’t even be worth waiting for the written decision.
# 5 is absolutly right. No more mosques in NYC until muslims who are not extremists start fighting against extremism. I do not see any expression of free will from these people (except may 1 or 2 brave voices) to fight terrorism created by their muslim brothers. Tolerance-yes but not towards people who are silent to horrible crimes.
I really don’t care what you have to say, your a left winger liberal who supports the radical obama.
Congratulations, Mr. Stringer.
Your just raised stupidity and political correctness to a whole new level.
You’ve probably done more to strengthen the hand of the Tea-baggers than any other person in NYC. If these guys ever win any real power they should publicly thank you because their stuff only sounds good when compared to nonesense like yours.
why are people afraid to speak the emes…..that we new yorkers are anti moslem.
Stringer is a left-leaning liberal who after his 8 years as a term-limited borough president has nowhere to go politically—just like the last Manhattan Borough President, does anyone even remember her name— so he’s trying to make a liberal political imprint for himself so like failed politician ,David Yasky, maybe he will be appointed NYC Taxi Commissioner when he’s turned out of office.
Mr. Scott, you got your head backwards! first of all, were not talking of one attack as big as 9/11 were talking of one successfull attack as big as 9/11 and many many more attempts of the magnitude of 9/11 that thank g-d didn’t go as planned!
Also, you are talking about you as a jew. You changed your name to something not really jewish sounding! this sounds like the next argument you make, about the “tea party protesters”. And I quote you, “one attack even as horrible as 9/11 shouldn’t be a pretext for racial ……..” Bug off. that’s a two facer, (flip flopper in politicians terminology).
bottom line. enough with this religion that generates and promotes sooo much intolerance that all of us are being attacked all around the world and we wont unite and fight it in their terms. I think you, deep in your hart you might have a pintele yid but you are farfooren. haboo l’hurgeich hashkem v’horgo (I bet you have no idea what this Chinese means.) first thing in fighting an enemy is to “identify your enemy” identify their source of motivation etc. please step down and don’t do us any favors dragging us jews into this, just to please your liberal views.
Gutless weasel liberal pig thinks the muslims YEMACH SH’MOM are going to like him now that he voted for this thing? They will shecht the rat first!
If he means what he says it is in principle not such a bad idea. But on one condition. They must let us build a big synagogue in Hebron on the site of the yeshiva of the 70 completely holy and innocent bochurim martyrs viciously murdered there in 1922.
We can then use it to promote “multiculturalism, tolerance,peace and understanding” in the so-called “occupied” West Bank.
Stringer is trying to use modern logic on a backward religion. Did he ask why the name of the new Mosque is called “Cordoba House” named after the Spanis City? It is because according to Muslim law, any parcel of land, any ciy, any country that at one point in history is held under Muslim control WILL ALWAYS be considered Muslim territory. Spain, which drove out the Moors under Ferdinand and Isabella, is still considered Muslim land and must be freed from the hands of the infidels. Make no mistake, placing a mosque near Ground Zero is a way to turn the entire tragedy into a gain for Islam.
“The stated purpose of the proposed center is ‘to establish a vibrant and world-class facility in New York City which will promote tolerance and pluralism.’”
Yeah, pick up a copy of the Koran, and read it. Then, ask the people building this mosque if they’re willing to condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization. Then ask them if they believe that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. Then ask them if they’d like to see the United States run according to Islamic law. Then ask them if they think that freedom of speech includes the right to publish cartoons of Mohammed. Then come and tell me whether they’re all about tolerance and pluralism.