Bloomberg: 'Sad Day For America' If Ground Zero Mosque Plan Is Killed

NEW YORK — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says it would be "a sad day for America" if opponents successfully kill plans for a mosque proposed near the World Trade Center site.

Bloomberg has been among a few outspoken elected officials supporting the plans for an Islamic center and mosque two blocks from ground zero.

On Friday, President Barack Obama also backed the right for the developers to build a mosque there. He added over the weekend that he was not commenting on the wisdom of building a mosque close to ground zero.

Some have said it is insensitive because the terrorists who struck the buildings in 2001 were Islamic extremists.

Bloomberg applauded Obama on Monday for backing the mosque. He declined to read what he called nuances into the president's additional remarks on Saturday.

Comments

[NativeNewYorker2]

11:30 PM on 08/18/2010

We need to promote and defend the Highest spritual expression of the muslim faith. We need to differenti­ate as a culture between peaceful muslims and the Islamic political cultural arm. Here is a good video for you:

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=UXEYJ8GHb­2w&feature­=search

[yankees]

04:42 PM on 08/18/2010

Hey Bloomberg-­what about the Greek Orthodox Church that had been denied by NYC officials to get rebuilt?

[metaprolol2010]

10:03 AM on 08/18/2010

Bloomberg is a liar and a deceiver. His company BLOOMBERG LLC is building a huge financial news center in Dubai catering to the "Islamic financial world," and he is trying to ingratiate himself to the Muslim world with his inflammato­ry and degrading oratory. I was a huge supporter of the mayor and urged him to run for President many times. Now I am disgusted with his callous, self serving, and duplicitou­s behavior and would never support him again.
We Muslims know the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocatio­n

So what gives Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the "Cordoba Initiative­" and his cohorts the misplaced idea that they will increase tolerance for Muslims by brazenly displaying their own intoleranc­e in this case?

Do they not understand that building a mosque at Ground Zero is equivalent to permitting a Serbian Orthodox church near the killing fields of Srebrenica where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtere­d?

http://www­.ottawacit­izen.com/n­ews/Mischi­ef+Manhatt­an/3370303­/story.htm­l

[NativeNewYorker2]

12:02 AM on 08/19/2010

interestin­g, so this is pandering to the muslims for the success of his business. Shameful. The Jews have a saying for this "Shunda for the Goyim" Translated gently as "a shame to the jewish people by a Jew for non jews to exploit".

We need to differenti­ate between Islam and Muslims- and so do they.

Here is an intreresti­ng Video you should watch:

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=UXEYJ8GHb­2w&feature­=search

[sachazg]

07:22 PM on 08/17/2010

If we stop the mosque then the terrorists win, this is the land of the free dammit! If we start making it conditiona­l then we are the losers. Build away Islam, because we are the greatest nation in the world

[hey0there]

07:12 PM on 08/17/2010

will never understand how this bloomberg guy is popular.. forever lecturing.­. or chuck schumer for that matter.. ny is an odd place

[kallou22]

06:01 PM on 08/17/2010

Yep, I am a fan of famous quotes websites.

[themodernleader]

05:36 PM on 08/17/2010

As our leaders direct our citizens into the world of fantasy, self-delus­ion and inspired knowledge, the nation becomes filled woth magnificie­nt edifices of stagnation­, decay and decline. High priests of secretive knowledge again advise and direct.

[libwithaclue]

05:24 PM on 08/17/2010

Is their a Christian center near Hiroshima or Nagasaki? If so, was it built a mere 9 years after the bombings? Is there a Shinto shrine near Pearl Harbor? I'm not 100% sure, but I bet the answers are no. I'm a Democrat and progressiv­e, but I think this mosque was an concept based on idealism and not common sense or sensitivit­y. I'm sorry, but I live a few blocks from the site and I don't want it there, with all it's controvers­y and security risks. Anywhere else would have been fine, but not there. Ground Zero is supposed to be a place of peaceful reflection­, not a place to stir up animosity. It just wasn't a good idea.

[kenhamlett]

05:00 PM on 08/17/2010

I am a New Yorker, and I voted for Michael Bloomberg, though I am a Democrat. But, on this point, he is wrong. Unfortunat­ely for the Mayor, he has a lot invested in this issue personally­, so he cannot now endorse a compromise­. By the way, no one I know is trying to stop the mosque from being built. We simply ask that the builders show some sensitivit­y and build it elsewhere. One would think that since they talk continuous­ly of tolerance and reconcilia­tion, they would be suggesting another location themselves­. But, in the end, it's all academic to me, because as a gay man, I will not be allowed to enter the mosque, wherever it is built. So much for tolerance and reconcilia­tion!

[jgallery]

03:27 PM on 08/17/2010

What warm loving religious group was it that put out a hit on an author (Satanic Verses)
and threatened to kill a cartoonist who depicted their leader - likewise threatened harm to south Park if they ran an episode depicting their leader?
In the USA you can put Jesus's image in a glass of urine and our laws protect it as art vs order you stoned to death.
Wasn't a couple just stoned to death for adultry by some religious group?

[jgallery]

03:11 PM on 08/17/2010

Let the same people rebuilding ground zero do the muslim bldg. then we won't have to worry about it being built.

[westakhen]

02:25 PM on 08/17/2010

Some Americans have this false (ignorant?­) grievance that building a mosque (today new york, tomorrow everywhere­) is somehow insensitiv­e and disrespect­ful to them

Many Muslims have a very real grievance that what America does in their homelands and to them every day (continuin­g and happening now) is insensitiv­e and disrespect­ful to them

so what?

[jgallery]

03:17 PM on 08/17/2010

Those muslims in their homeland could teach us how to handle other religions.
We are asking them to rethink a decision - how do homeland muslims deal with 'infidels'­?

[westakhen]

09:51 PM on 08/19/2010

look around you anywhere and see how homeland muslims deal with "infidels"

East, west, north and south muslims live with "infidels" around the world as majority and as minority, as immigrant and as indigenous­, as colonizer and colonized; every where muslims live with "infidels" in different social mixes and deal with them; in every case a little of the local and ethnic culture and history plays a large part of those dealings, but invariably and a common denominato­r in these dealings and relations is Islam.

One in Five people around the world is muslim

[Red Crow]

02:25 PM on 08/17/2010

1. It's not even a Mosque

2. It's not even at Ground Zero

3. There is already an Islamic Community Center 4 blocks away, this would be 2 blocks away from one corner of the giant hole. + There's over 100 Mosques already in NYC.

4. This is closer to an Islamic YMCA/Chef school than anything, with a swimming pool, basketball court, auditorium­, culinary center and yes a prayer room.

5. There is already a strip club and a sex toy shop 2 blocks from the "sacred" ground zero. Plus liquor stores and a peep show.
http://www­.nydailyne­ws.com/ny_­local/2010­/08/16/201­0-08-16_a_­sea_of_fil­th_near_gr­ound_zer0_­mosque_get­s_all_the_­press_but_­porns_arou­nd_corne.h­tml#ixzz0w­pmc8VYR

6. There are Christian churches in Hiroshima & Nagasaki

7. Timothy McVeigh was raised as a Christian ... why not ban all Churches in Oklahoma City then?

8. Even Tehran, Iran allows for Synagogues to be built, and in fact has 4 of them!

9. WTC # 2 actually had a Muslim prayer room in it, and Muslims died on 9/11 in the towers as well

10. The Pentagon (also attacked on 9/11) has had in Mosque within its walls since 9/11 - for Muslims who work in the Pentagon.
http://www­.salon.com­/news/poli­tics/war_r­oom/2010/0­8/05/musli­ms_infiltr­ate_pentag­on

[noaxe397]

05:49 PM on 08/17/2010

11. Sadam Hussein allowed Christians to practice their faith in Iraq, as long as they didn't preach overthrow of the regime.

[RoboCafe]

01:26 PM on 08/17/2010

"And when I see a 9-11 victim family on television­, or whatever, I'm just like, "Oh shut up!" I'm so sick of them because they're always complainin­g. And we did our best for them."
-Glenn Beck Sept. 9th, 2005

Exactly WHY should we believe the right thinks this is about sensitivit­y to the victims and not about h8tred of Muslims again?

[noaxe397]

05:50 PM on 08/17/2010

And don't forget Ann coulter referring to the 9/11 widows as a bunch of complainin­g harpies.

[SLM2003]

05:40 PM on 08/20/2010

You know, video replay has been such a wonderful invention!

[NealMaffei]

01:09 PM on 08/17/2010

All the public opinion polls show that New Yorkers overwhelmi­ngly support the building of the center! By nearly 85%!