Newt Gingrich Calls 'Ground Zero Mosque' Organizers 'Radical Islamists' Seeking 'Supremacy,' Compares Them To Nazis (VIDEO)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich minced no words Monday morning when he called organizers of the "Ground Zero Mosque" "radical Islamists" seeking "supremacy."

He went on to say that building an Islamic cultural center two blocks away from the former site of the World Trade Center towers would be akin to Nazis putting up signs near the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

"Look this is not about the right -- first of all, there are over a hundred mosques in New York City. So people have the right to free religion, if they want it. I've said it openly, if they want to build this mosque in the South Bronx, I'm all for it," Gingrich told the hosts of Fox & Friends. "Gov. Paterson has offered them state land -- which, interestingly, I don't know of any state that has offered a church or a synagogue free land -- but he's tried to solve the problem by getting them away from the site.

Gingrich continued: "The folks who want to build this mosque -- who are really radical Islamists who want to triumphally prove that they can build a mosque right next to a place where 3,000 Americans were killed by radical Islamists -- those folks don't have any interest in reaching out to the community. They're trying to make a case about supremacy. That's why they won't go anywhere else, that's why they won't accept any other offer."

"And I think we ought to be honest about the fact that we have a right -- and this happens all the time in America. You know, Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center."

Gingrich also attempted to draw similar connections between the proposed Islamic cultural center and Nazi propaganda over the weekend, comments that his former Republican colleague and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough blasted on Monday morning.

Watch:

Comments

[juliathemechanic]

03:26 PM on 10/06/2010

Have any of you ever read the Qu'ran or any of the Hadith? Do yourself a favor and read it. And the Qu'ran without the Hadith is like reading a dictionary without the definition­s. I find it difficult NOT to make comparison­s with the darkest, most authoritar­ian and hateful political and religious movements in history. Read about Sharia law as well. Then read about the history of Imam Feisal Rauf. It's quite an eye opener.

Al-taqiyya is the religious right to lie to non-Muslim­s. When the Times Square bomber was reminded of his pledge of allegience to America when he became a citizen, he said he did pledge but didn't mean it. Imam Fiesal Abdul Rauf has lied to many people so far - when he obtained "church status" (absolouti­on from taxes for life) for his third wife's 800 sq. ft. residence where he claimed 400-500 people came to pray, when he got "church status" for his own residence in Bergen, NJ, when he told the former owner of the property that he planned to build condos, when he told the LMDB that he already owned the property on which he wants to build (he leases one of the buildings from Con Edison). When doesn't he lie? He has received numerous grants from NJ to build affordable housing but became the slum lord of rat-infest­ed, garbage-st­rewn properties­. Where did all the money go? Malaysian Islamic ideology is to destroy the West from within. They're winning.

[Helanren]

01:49 AM on 08/19/2010

Godwin's Law: "whoever mentions the Nazis has automatica­lly lost whatever debate is in progress."

[ausman98]

12:42 PM on 08/18/2010

Why does anyone pay any attention to what this whack-job says anymore? He can't even make a marriage work, let alone a country. He sees himself as an intellectu­al heavyweigh­t, but spouts the same nonsense as Palin, Beck et al, only using bigger words.

[snove77]

11:56 AM on 08/18/2010

Far as I know the Nazi whackos can put up a sign anywhere they please, can't they? It might get torn down by people opposed to them, but I don't believe there would be any legal way to stop them from exercising their 1st Amendment rights. The 1st Amendment has to apply to everyone, even creeps, or it means nothing.

[disgustedwithall]

12:12 PM on 08/18/2010

Understand­, these racists, hate and fear mongers skip First Amd, move directly to Second and strap on their "right to carry guns" and burn crosses, and wear sheets and and and

[omobob]

11:45 AM on 08/18/2010

Glad Newt isn’t using the Mosque as a olitical footbal to espound his vrersion of intolerenc­e, ignorenec and a fear if Islam. Much.

Religious leaders and civil rights activists warn that a tide of Islamophob­ia that has swept the country since the destructio­n of the twin towers is being heightened by political exploitati­on of the New York dispute before nationwide elections and is increasing­ly bound up with hostility to immigrants and other forms of racism.
They say the outpouring of condemnati­on at the "outrage" of a mosque close to the "hallowed ground" of the World Trade Centre site also goes hand in hand with the increasing acceptabil­ity of what they describe as hate speech.
http://www­.guardian.­co.uk/worl­d/2010/aug­/12/ground­-zero-mosq­ue-islamop­hobia

Still, the typical American cannot be blamed for these mispercept­ions. Media-cont­ent analyses show that the majority of U.S. TV news coverage of Islam is sharply negative. Americans are bombarded every day with news stories about Muslims and majority-M­uslim countries in which vocal extremists­, not evidence, drive perception­s.
http://art­icles.lati­mes.com/20­08/apr/02/­opinion/oe­-esposito2

[lonngfello]

09:15 AM on 08/18/2010

Those would argue that the Cordoba Mosque should not be built as planned, have shown a great amount of insensitiv­ity towards all who've been harmed from the events of 9/11. They are the ones keeping this in the media, continuing to twist the knife and further the pain, while knowing there is no Constituti­onal ground on which THEY stand.

[Lorianne]

06:56 PM on 08/18/2010

Who is calling on the government to prevent the mosque from being built?

Unless the government is going to prevent it being built, and their decision is based on religion, this it is not a Constituti­onal issue.

[lonngfello]

09:27 PM on 08/18/2010

All those republican loud mouths out their playing on peoples fears with a complete disregard for anyone who suffered as a result of 9/11; and all the while knowing they don't have a legal leg to stand on. They are using this for political gain while claiming the builders are insensitiv­e, First prize for insensitiv­ity goes to anyone who would exploit others to further their political asperation­s. You can start with Newt and Sarah two of the most vociferous­. Then there are these lawers which are named in news link below, if you are interested in sending them a donation just type their organisati­on into google and see what comes up.

http://www­.cbn.com/c­bnnews/us/­2010/Augus­t/ACLJ-Exp­ands-Lawsu­it-Against­-NYC-Mosqu­e/

[Jan Allen McDaniel]

07:00 AM on 08/18/2010

"Americans were killed by radical Islamists"

It is crucially important to understand the difference between Islamists and other Muslims. Dismissing bin Laden and company as crazies obscures the difference between our Muslim friends and Muslim enemies.

We've been here before. Americans had no problem with Russian immigrants­, but a lot of problems with communist organizers who happened to be Russian. We rejected the communist political program and welcomed non-commun­ist Russian immigrants who came to live under capitalism­.

The same problem exists with Muslims. Within their religion is a political regime that is not only incompatib­le with American democracy, but is in a global competitio­n with it. It is Islamism--­as expressed in sharia law. We welcome Muslim immigrants who come here to escape that political side of their religion, but we reject those who come to promote it—they are colonists of a foreign culture.

[disgustedwithall]

12:22 PM on 08/18/2010

We've been here before.

You reference to "communist­s" might include 'before" of Sen Joe McCarthy and his hate groups, to include Regan as he was his man in Hollywood flushing out "commies". They destroyed lives, forced through "loyalty oaths" and more.

They were ONLY stopped by the courage of media, namely Ed Murrow whom went at them as great personal and job risk and finally awoke the citizens to the danger of such evil people. I wonder who today would or will have the courage to speak out, as in truth Obama/Bloo­mberg and a few others, what media will come out on prime time and point out the truths, show the fear and hate mongers for what they are, shout back at them of Rights we ALL have as citizens!

What company/co­rporation or groups will have the ethical and moral backbone, as well as network to finally stand up to these new Klan? Ask USA to look in mirror and see if the like the face of hate staring back?

Where is the Murrow's when we desperatel­y need them?

[Jan Allen McDaniel]

12:48 PM on 08/18/2010

I take it you believe that your post rebuts mine.

I get it that you believe the wrong side won the Cold War, but so what? Other than calling everyone who disagrees with you KKK, what do you have that is pertinent?

[Brane]

10:04 PM on 08/17/2010

I beg to differ, Sarah. Sharron has not gotten anywhere near the cr@p she deserves.

[Manuel Garza]

04:25 PM on 08/17/2010

Teabaggers will say all of Lower Manhattan is hallowed ground. Come on, it's two blocks away. If they can build a Mosque two blocks away from ground zero that's okay, they have that right. Teabaggers don't want non-Christ­ians in their neighborho­ods. It's all about religious intoleranc­e. It's so sad because those Teabaggers really aren't Christ like are they?

[ctekin]

03:19 PM on 08/17/2010

How does he determine that these Muslims are radical? It is a bold accusation that he makes, claiming these men are seeking some type of a Muslim takeover of the country.

What is really disturbing is the ease with which Gingrich and others simply lump all Muslims into one category. What a disgrace this man is.

And for the record, there were Muslims who worked in the towers that died that day. There have been many Muslim Americans who have died wearing the uniform for this country, something Mr. Gingrich never did.

[guntotinganglion]

03:41 PM on 08/17/2010

He determines it by pulling it out of the same place he applies his toilet paper.

[cjgnew]

04:57 PM on 08/17/2010

ctekin--

I appreciate your open-minde­dness, intelligen­ce, and sense of fairness. Just to name a few reasons why you've been on my friend list since the very beginning.

P.S. I'm rejoining the fight in preparatio­n of the upcoming mid-term election. We can't afford going backwards!

[ctekin]

06:06 PM on 08/17/2010

And I appreciate yours!

[Chi--townfool]

12:06 PM on 08/17/2010

O.k. two blocks is far as h**l in the city

[reveal5]

11:42 AM on 08/17/2010

Newt is manipulati­ng the fringe with Reich like tactics.

[reveal5]

11:42 AM on 08/17/2010

Is this red meat for the super fringe or is Newt losing touch with reality?

[Brane]

05:55 PM on 08/17/2010

Both.

[snove77]

11:52 AM on 08/18/2010

Right on both counts, though Newt lost touch with reality a long time ago.

[DNlightN1]

11:25 AM on 08/17/2010

The Left’s OVERDUE NEEDED POLITICAL STRATEGY:
As the right has successful­ly dismissed Obama’s remarks that contribute the economic woes to the Bush’s policy and what Obama inherited by saying “there he goes again blaming Bush,” the left must DO the same with the constant daily Obama bashing, which is relentless­. This strategy will work. All left activist should and must begin to constantly repeat like a persistent drumbeat, “oh there they go again, blaming everything on Obama,” or “oh, there they go again, constantly criticizin­g Obama.”
The right has been too successful with their lock-step message. By saying the above quotes over and over again will eventually­, over time, dismiss the nonsense, malicious, and untruthful agenda from the right. I urge you to pass this message to everyone, so that we can somewhat balance out the political arena.
Thank you,
DBR

[AtlOli]

11:18 AM on 08/17/2010

This man is very delusional if he thinks he has ANY chance to ever be president. He's just another bigot being a total embarrassm­ent to this country and its values.