Mr Obama discussed the planned mosque during a Iftar meal for Muslims breaking their Ramadan fast at the White House
J. Scott Applewhite London Times
President Barack Obama has waded into the controversy surrounding the planned mosque near the site of the destroyed World Trade Centre in New York, saying a nation built on religious freedom must allow it.
“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” Mr Obama told an intently listening crowd gathered at the White House last night to observe the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”
Mr Obama’s remarks, delivered at a White House Iftar meal for Muslims breaking their Ramadan fast, were the president’s first on the controversial project, which has become a test of tolerance for Islam in post-9/11 America and sparked a national debate on freedom of religion.
New York City has approved plans for the lower Manhattan building to be turned into a mosque and an interfaith venue called “Cordoba House.”
The $100 million multi-story Islamic centre will include a mosque, sports facilities, theatre, restaurant and possibly a day care, and would be open to all visitors to demonstrate that Muslims are part of their community, according to plans.
But the proposed location, two blocks from Ground Zero, where nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked plans slammed into and destroyed the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, has touched raw nerves.
Mr Obama acknowledged that the site where the World Trade Centre towers once stood remains “hallowed ground,” and that 9/11 attacks “were a deeply traumatic event for our country.”
But he said American values required that all religious groups be treated equally and fairly.
“This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable,” the president said. “The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”
Hearings on whether the construction should be allowed prompted furious exchanges earlier this year, with supporters accusing critics of racism and Islamophobia, and opponents warning insulted the memory of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Applause erupted when a New York city commission unanimously approved the project August 3, but others shouted “shame,” and waved signs reading “Islam builds mosques at the sites of their conquests.”
Mr Obama acknowledged the “pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable,” but he called on Americans to “always remember who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.”
“Al-Qaeda’s cause is not Islam - it is a gross distortion of Islam,” the president said. “In fact, al-Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion - and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.”
Before an audience of prominent Muslim Americans, including administration officials, and Muslim members of Washington’s diplomatic corps, Mr Obama paid tribute to US history of accepting and engaging Muslims.
He cited the example of president Thomas Jefferson, who he said hosted the first White House Iftar, more than 200 years ago.
But Mr Obama’s appeal is unlikely to convince those most opposed to the mosque, which has attracted increasingly strident criticism, raising fears among US Muslims of an Islamophobic backlash.
A Florida church has already said it will hold a “Koran-burning” on September 11 this year, and Muslim advocacy groups say they have reached out to law enforcement officials seeking extra vigilance.
“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country,” Mr Obama told an intently listening crowd gathered at the White House last night to observe the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”
Mr Obama’s remarks, delivered at a White House Iftar meal for Muslims breaking their Ramadan fast, were the president’s first on the controversial project, which has become a test of tolerance for Islam in post-9/11 America and sparked a national debate on freedom of religion.
New York City has approved plans for the lower Manhattan building to be turned into a mosque and an interfaith venue called “Cordoba House.”
The $100 million multi-story Islamic centre will include a mosque, sports facilities, theatre, restaurant and possibly a day care, and would be open to all visitors to demonstrate that Muslims are part of their community, according to plans.
But the proposed location, two blocks from Ground Zero, where nearly 3,000 people died when hijacked plans slammed into and destroyed the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, has touched raw nerves.
Mr Obama acknowledged that the site where the World Trade Centre towers once stood remains “hallowed ground,” and that 9/11 attacks “were a deeply traumatic event for our country.”
But he said American values required that all religious groups be treated equally and fairly.
“This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable,” the president said. “The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”
Hearings on whether the construction should be allowed prompted furious exchanges earlier this year, with supporters accusing critics of racism and Islamophobia, and opponents warning insulted the memory of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Applause erupted when a New York city commission unanimously approved the project August 3, but others shouted “shame,” and waved signs reading “Islam builds mosques at the sites of their conquests.”
Mr Obama acknowledged the “pain and suffering experienced by those who lost loved ones is unimaginable,” but he called on Americans to “always remember who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.”
“Al-Qaeda’s cause is not Islam - it is a gross distortion of Islam,” the president said. “In fact, al-Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion - and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.”
Before an audience of prominent Muslim Americans, including administration officials, and Muslim members of Washington’s diplomatic corps, Mr Obama paid tribute to US history of accepting and engaging Muslims.
He cited the example of president Thomas Jefferson, who he said hosted the first White House Iftar, more than 200 years ago.
But Mr Obama’s appeal is unlikely to convince those most opposed to the mosque, which has attracted increasingly strident criticism, raising fears among US Muslims of an Islamophobic backlash.
A Florida church has already said it will hold a “Koran-burning” on September 11 this year, and Muslim advocacy groups say they have reached out to law enforcement officials seeking extra vigilance.
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