'Ground zero mosque' - Open for business

[naterator]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/09/2011922112830399319.html

An Islamic cultural centre close to the site where New York's World Trade Center once stood has opened quietly in spite of scenes last year of vehement protests from those who said the area should not house a mosque.

The opening ceremony for the Park51 centre on Wednesday featured a photo exhibit called "NYChildren", displaying over 160 portraits of immigrant children living in New York.

Sharif El-Gamal, the center's developer, said the biggest error on the project was not involving the families of 9/11 victims from the start.

"We made incredible mistakes," El-Gamal told The Associated Press in an earlier interview at his Manhattan office.

The building at 51 Park Place, two blocks from the World Trade Center site, includes a Muslim prayer space that has been open for two years.

The Islamic center sparked a national debate last year about the place of Islam among the numerous religions practised in the US.

By contrast, Park51 has vowed to offer "social and recreational services, as well as world-class health, wellness and educational facilities", alongside a religious focus.

"Presently, Park51 is opening its doors to New Yorkers of all backgrounds for interfaith workshops, films and lectures," the group said on its website, as a mosque has already been operating on the site for two years.

Last year thousands of people marched through New York on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, facing off in angry debate under a heavy police presence as they protested for or against the project.

The row was stirred in August 2010 by threats from an evangelical Christian pastor to burn hundreds of Korans unless the mosque was moved.

So much manufactured outrage all for naught. Park 51 is open and, strangely enough, now that no news channels are ginning up a controversy about it, nobody seems too upset. Funny how that works.

So after having a year to cool down, does anybody still think this is a victory mosque, an affront to America, or an insensitive place for Muslims to congregate?

 

[Cutlass]

They didn't let the terrorist win.

 

[phoenix_sprite]

They could of chosen a better location IMO.

 

[bhsup]

Nothing wrong with the location or the intent of the center. I'm glad they opened it.

 

[RobAnybody]

Wait, so the world didn't end? We didn't all become Muslim overnight? Freedom still exists? Zombie Osama bin Ladin didn't take over the USA? I... I... don't know how to handle this. What will we manufacture outrage over now?

 

[Leonel]

It's not election season, go home.

 

[Skwink]

I thought this was a Community Center

 

[Ajidica]

Link to video.

IT COULD HAPPEN!!!!

 

[aukrest]

They could of chosen a better location IMO.

How so? Islam did not attack the United States on September 11, radical terrorists did.

 

[Skwink]

How so? Islam did not attack the United States on September 11, radical terrorists did.

Construction, traffic, etc.

 

[emzie]

Good.

 

[asbestos]

list of Muslims that were killed or mia

Samad Afridi
Ashraf Ahmad
Shabbir Ahmad
Umar Ahmad
Azam Ahsan
Ahmed Ali
Tariq Amanullah
Touri Bolourchi
Salauddin Ahmad Chaudhury
Abdul K. Chowdhury
Mohammad S. Chowdhury
Jamal Legesse Desantis
Ramzi Attallah Douani
SaleemUllah Farooqi
Syed Fatha
Osman Gani
Mohammad Hamdani
Salman Hamdani (NYPD Cadet)
Aisha Harris
Shakila Hoque
Nabid Hossain
Shahzad Hussain
Talat Hussain
Mohammad Shah Jahan
Yasmeen Jamal
Mohammed Jawarta
Arslan Khan Khakwani
Asim Khan
Ataullah Khan
Ayub Khan
Qasim Ali Khan
Sarah Khan
Taimour Khan
Yasmeen Khan
Zahida Khan
Badruddin Lakhani
Omar Malick
Nurul Hoque Miah
Mubarak Mohammad
Boyie Mohammed
Raza Mujtaba
Omar Namoos
Mujeb Qazi
Tarranum Rahim
Ehtesham U. Raja
Ameenia Rasool
Naveed Rehman
Yusuf Saad
Rahma Salie & unborn child (7month pregnant)
Shoman Samad
Asad Samir
Khalid Shahid
Mohammed Shajahan
Naseema Simjee
Jamil Swaati
Sanober Syed
Robert Elias Talhami
Michael Theodoridis
W. Wahid

 

[Arwon]

Construction, traffic, etc.

It's New York.

 

[Formaldehyde]

How did this open without massive protests and whining from the right-wing media?

It looks like they only remodeled part of the inside and left the outside alone?

 

[amadeus]

It's a hideous building.

 

[jojorah]

i actually think this community center is stupid, why build a place there when people are going to be outraged? Anywhere else would be a better place. Either way its built now, im happy with it, but i dont think it was very smart.

 

[FriendlyFire]

It's not election season, go home.

It'll be brought up once the election campaign begins. Its too effective an issue to whip up some of the base voters into action. Might have considered moving it a bit away as a gesture of good will but given that its an old run down place might help with the economy when it opens up.

 

[Skwink]

list of Muslims that were killed or mia
snip

That's a very nice list, but I'm pretty sure more Muslims than that have been killed though.

 

[KaiserElectric]

Still think it's tacky, but I really don't care anymore.

 

[GamezRule]

Link to video.