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Cordoba House, also referred to as the "Ground Zero Mosque" and "Park51", is a proposed 13-story Islamic cultural center and mosque planned to be built in New York City on Park Place between West Broadway and Church Street, two blocks away from Ground Zero, over protests.

The project's name refers to Córdoba, Spain, the capital of Caliphate of Córdoba during the period of Muslim rule in Spain.

History

During the September 11 attacks, the building, then a Burlington Coat Factory, was severely damaged. Part of one of the hijacked planes fell through its roof. Until its 2009 purchase, it lay abandoned.

In July 2009, the real estate company Soho Properties purchased a five-story building located two blocks north of the former World Trade Center site. Soho Properties paid the owner $4.85 million in cash for the property. One of the investors in the transaction, the Cordoba Initiative, along with the American Society for Muslim Advancement, later proposed to use the property as the site for a $100 million Islamic center and mosque. Some U.S. politicians such as Republicans Peter T. King and Rick Lazio asked for an investigation of the group’s finances.

For several months after its purchase, the building was used as a makeshift Muslim prayer space, with services led by American Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Abdul Rauf is the chief exponent of the mosque project, and some U.S. politicians voiced concerns about his views.

On May 6, 2010, neighborhood authorities approved plans for Cordoba House, a $100-million Islamic center and mosque, to be built on the site. The project was unanimously endorsed by the 12-member Community Board 1's financial district committee.

Those behind the project, the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative, claim it is intended to foster better relations between Islam and the West. In an interview, Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, said: "We decided we wanted to look at the legacy of 9/11 and do something positive." She added that her group represents moderate Muslims who want "to reverse the trend of extremism and the kind of ideology that the extremists are spreading." Pointing to the fact that ordinary Muslims have been killed by Muslim extremists all over the world, Khan also said about the mosque, "For us it is a symbol... that will give voice to the silent majority of Muslims who suffer at the hands of extremists. A center will show that Muslims will be part of rebuilding Lower Manhattan."

Although the media has widely described the center as a mosque, the Initiative's official blog portrays it as a community center with prayer space, making comparisons to the YMCA or Jewish Community Center. The plan is for it to have a prayer room, 500-seat auditorium, swimming pool, basketball court, childcare services, art exhibitions, and a food court serving halal dishes.

One remaining obstacle to construction is the potential of landmark status of the building, to be voted by the City's Landmarks Preservation Commission. Cordoba House has stated that if the Commission landmarks the existing building, the community center would be "worked into" that status. Presumably, this would involve integrating a landmarked facade into the new construction, as has commonly occurred in the neighborhood, where unremarkable and decrepit interiors are often excluded from landmark status. The commission plans to vote on the issue in August 2010.

Opposition to construction near Ground Zero

Some relatives of victims of the September 11 attacks found the proposal offensive, because the terrorists who committed them were Muslim and committed the attacks in the name of Islam. Sally Regenhard, mother of 28-year-old firefighter Christian, who died on September 11, said that the center would be “sacrilege on sacred ground”, and that “People are being accused of being anti-Muslim and racist, but this is simply a matter of sensitivity.”

A Quinnipiac University Poll carried out in June 2010 reported that 52% of New York voters oppose the construction; however, Manhattanites supported it by 46% to 36%.

The building of the mosque, as well as the initiative itself, was criticized by other Muslims, such as Sufi mysticist Suleiman Schwartz, who said that a building built by Rauf barely two blocks from Ground Zero, is inconsistent with Sufi philosophy of simplicity of faith and sensitivity towards others. Similarly, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish civil rights group in the United States, also opposed the construction of the mosque, saying that while some of those who oppose the mosque are "bigots", the mosque at that site will nevertheless cause more pain for some victims of 9/11.

Politicians such as Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Carl Paladino, and Rick Lazio have opposed the construction of the mosque.

New York City fireman Tim Brown opposes the mosque, saying: "A mosque ... that's using foreign money from countries with Shariah law is unacceptable, especially in this neighborhood". Brown allied with the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), a conservative law firm founded by Pat Robertson that champions the rights of Christians to build and worship freely. More than 20,000 people signed an online petition for the Committee to Stop the Ground Zero Mosque, and have lobbied the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to give the location landmark status, which would add a major hurdle to construction. Brown is seeking to pressure Rauf to fully disclose the project's funding sources.

Boston University Department of Religion professor Stephen Prothero opined that Cordoba House should not be built near Ground Zero because it will serve as a symbol of Muslim conquest of Lower Manhattan, and because Saudi Arabia doesn't allow the construction of churches.

Support

Another Jewish political group, J Street, supported the construction. Interfaith Alliance also supported the mosque.

New York City's Mayor Bloomberg, who strongly endorsed the project, responding to opposition to the project, said:

The government should never, never be in the business of telling people how they should pray or where they can pray. We want to make sure that everybody from around the world feels comfortable coming here, living here and praying the way they want to pray.

Community Board 1 Committee Chairman Ro Sheffe said: "it will be a wonderful asset to the community."

Valerie Lucznikowska, aunt of Adam Arias, who died in the September 11 attack, said: “I want tolerance. I want inclusion, and there is no better embodiment.”

See also

• Islamic Cultural Center of New York

References

1. ^ Neroulias, Nicole (July 29, 2010). "Quietly, another mosque operates in the shadow of Ground Zero". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
2. Sanchez, Ray (May 26, 2010). "Despite Protests, Mosque Plan Near 9/11 Site Wins Key Vote". ABC News. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
3. "Palin: Muslim facility near Ground Zero an 'unnecessary provocation'". CNN. July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
4. "EDITORIAL: The 9/11 mosque". The Washington Times. May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
5. Geller, Pamela; Spencer, Robert (May 24, 2010). "Guest Opinion: The 9/11 Mosque's Peace Charade". Catholic Online. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
6. ^ El, Tamer (July 27, 2010). "Amid Ground Zero Mosque Debate, NYPD Alert for Security During Ramadan - Metropolis - WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
7. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/nyregion/14center.html
8. Blumenthal, Ralph; Mowjood, Sharaf (December 9, 2009). "Muslim Prayers and Renewal Near Ground Zero". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
9. Memmott, Mark (May 6, 2010). "Plan For Mosque Next To Ground Zero In NYC Moves Forward". NPR. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
10. ^ Jackson, Joe; Hutchinson, Bill (May 6, 2010). "Plan for mosque near World Trade Center site moves ahead". Daily News. New York. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
11. Bliman, Nicole (May 7, 2010). "Mosque to go up near New York's ground zero". CNN. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
12. Rutkoff, Aaron (May 5, 2010). "Near Ground Zero, a Mosque Moves In and Meets the Neighbors". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
13. Kreimer, Nancy Fuchs (May 21, 2010). "Proposed Muslim Community Center Near Ground Zero: 'A Slap in the Face' or 'Repairing the Breach?'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
14. "What is a Community Center". Cordoba Initiative. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
15. ^ Goldsmith, Samuel (July 1, 2010). "More than half of New York voters oppose Ground Zero mosque plan: poll". Daily News. New York. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
16. Jacoby, Jeff (June 6, 2010). "A Mosque at Ground Zero?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
17. ^ "Jewish group opposes ground zero mosque". Associated Press. July 30, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
18. Siegel, Joel (July 19, 2010). "Sarah Palin 'Refudiates' Ground Zero Mosque". ABC News. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
19. Tacopino, Joe (July 22, 2010). "Newt Gingrich comes out against planned Cordoba House mosque near Ground Zero". Daily News. New York. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
20. Hernandez, Javier C (July 13, 2010). "Planned Sign of Tolerance Bringing Division Instead". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved July 31, 2010.

External links

• Cordoba House

• Mosques in New York
• Mosque-related controversies
• Places of worship in New York City
• Building projects in the United States