Poll: Most New Yorkers Want Islamic Center Moved, Investigated

ALBANY, N.Y. — A new poll finds 71 percent of New Yorkers want the developers of an Islamic center and mosque near ground zero to voluntarily move the project.

The Quinnipiac (KWIHN'-uh-pee-ak) University poll released Tuesday finds the same amount of New Yorkers want Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate funding of the project.

Cuomo, a Democrat running for governor, has said little about the issue. He says the building is protected by the Constitution and that he will investigate if concerns are found.

The poll finds 53 percent of registered voters feel the Muslim developers shouldn't be allowed to build two blocks from ground zero. About the same percentage of voters say they have a right to.

Quinnipiac questioned 1,497 registered voters Aug. 23-29. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

___

Online:

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml

Comments

[cityslicker444]

09:34 PM on 09/02/2010

Most new building projects are insensitive to other's opinions, but however insensitive they may be or appear, we must allow them to go up, lest we lose an anchor principle to the foundation of what makes us a great nation......

[mikeinSeattle]

12:16 PM on 09/02/2010

So that means 29% of New Yorkers have the sense to think about the issue?!

[Horst]

10:07 PM on 09/01/2010

I lived in Europe and the US and believe me, Muslims are far better assimilated in the good old USA than on the Continent. Hustlers like Rauf and his shady developer pals are doing the Muslim population of New York more harm than good. Why doesn't this guy take the high roadrather than be a provocateur?

[ponderingmuch]

12:58 AM on 09/02/2010

Where could this community center be located that would strike you as appropriate?

Could it be anywhere in Manhattan? If so, where?

I really do want to know.

Obviously many people who live in Manhattan (and other boroughs) were intimately impacted by 9/11 and think or feel that anything to do with Muslims will cause them more pain.

Please say where such a community center meant to heal wounds could be located that would help heal these feelings.

[O K Ali]

04:16 PM on 09/01/2010

I detest the fact that a radical Islamist with ties to Al-Qaeda will build a terrorist training camp and victory shrine at ground zero. Thank God, Park 51 is moving there instead.

[Imrightyourewrong]

07:01 PM on 09/01/2010

Wait? Glenn Beck was going to build there?

[VanTroi]

09:01 PM on 09/02/2010

wow dude you are confused

[O K Ali]

09:54 PM on 09/02/2010

I was being sarcastic, but it obviously went over your head.

[TheGuardrail]

01:18 PM on 09/01/2010

This is just another waste of time. We should be putting our resources towards homelessness, education and funding transportation alternatives in this great city of ours. At the end of the day this new Islamic Center is protected by the constitution, the thing we have been bombing other countries to protect. I welcome, what is to me, a symbol of acceptance by our country. Any challenge in a court is a waste of taxpayer dollars. It is legal and we need to move on. I don't hear anyone protesting Catholic Churches being built near elementary schools, so whats the difference?

[Occam123]

12:53 PM on 09/01/2010

Imam Rauf, founder of Cordoba Caliphate Mission quote:"
"New laws were permitted after the death of Muhammad, so long of course that these laws do not contradict the Quran or the Deeds of Muhammad ... so they create institutions that assure no conflicts with Sharia."
Good luck with that in NY,guys.

If this is a moderate, I shudder to think waht a conservatives are like.

[lunarsnare]

01:01 PM on 09/01/2010

You shudder alright when you see a person different then you.
Quite evident from you past posts.

[Occam123]

12:28 AM on 09/02/2010

Next time you go to a mind reader try and remember that you are entitled to a substantial discount...

[lunarsnare]

01:13 PM on 09/01/2010

@ Occam123

This is for you, take a good listen and please enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLRtuy7-D3E

Greetings from the free world

[cityslicker444]

09:14 PM on 09/02/2010

ditto

[MichelNYC]

12:17 PM on 09/01/2010

Which New Yorkers did the pollsters ask? I'd like to know that before I even attempt to believe their findings are valid.

[lunarsnare]

12:37 PM on 09/01/2010

Exactly.
Much is in the phrasing and provided background of a question.
Many polls offer only yes or no answer with little nuance.

[Occam123]

12:56 PM on 09/01/2010

Oh, but you're not even willing to do the research on the organizations who performed the polling .. now that's rational approach...lol.

[Occam123]

12:09 PM on 09/01/2010

Turkish PM Erdogan :" The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers... "
http://www.reuters.com/article/comments/idUSTRE67J45U20100824
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2270642.stm

[lunarsnare]

12:59 PM on 09/01/2010

Huh?

Your first link is defunct
Your 2nd is about elections in Turkey from 2002

[samilli3]

11:45 AM on 09/01/2010

i can understand how NY yokers feel. It was a tragedy that occurred in their on own backyard..it is a catch 22

[Occam123]

11:16 AM on 09/01/2010

If it is a community center, then it shouldn't have a mosque.
If it is a mosque, then don't call it a community center.
They can call it Emma Goldman Center, and it still be what it is--Islamic Mission named after Islamic conquest in West and dedicated to advancement of Sharia in U.S.

[lunarsnare]

11:30 AM on 09/01/2010

What is wrong with you?
You can’t micro manage people’s faith in their community centers

In the thread below just yesterday you advocated the starving of Muslims into submission in your home country Germany.
On the last page
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/29/thilo-sarrazin-german-banker-jewish-remark_n_698301.html

To quote you
‘Solution-- cut social care, (except medical), hunger is a great motivator for integration and language learning.”

[Occam123]

11:57 AM on 09/01/2010

"you advocated the starving of Muslims into submission."
What nonsenes
It seems an option of work as an alternative to life-long welfare hasn't even occurred to you. Amazing..
Of course that would necessitate learning the language, getting some education and taking off the burqas and leaving the care on one's Islamic ehhh.. community center ...GASP... We can't have that.

[Imrightyourewrong]

07:22 PM on 09/01/2010

You're just dumb.

[Occam123]

11:10 AM on 09/01/2010

NO--- to Sharia Missionary Center in Manhattan.
The leader of this mission (named after Islamic conquest in the West) is on record demanding Sharia law to be incorporated into U.S. law. Wherever these Islamic missions open, destabilization of societies occurs almost over night.

[lunarsnare]

11:40 AM on 09/01/2010

What is so upsetting to you in Germany about an Islamic center in New York?

[Occam123]

12:18 PM on 09/01/2010

I've seen the severe destabilization of societies which happend in Europe when these mega-mosques open up, ALL built with foreign Turkish and Saudi ultra-conservative money.
It would nice U.S. avoids making the same mistakes based on the similar notion of multi-culti doga,

As quoted by Turkish PM "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2270642.stm

[Imrightyourewrong]

07:27 PM on 09/01/2010

You do know it's an operating mosque right now, right? You do know they didn't chose that spot for the community center either, right? You do know they looked at about 12 other spaces, right? You do know the Jewish Community Center on the Upper West Side supports it, right? You do know the Community Board voted 29-1 in favor, right? You do know the Landmarks Preservation Board approved the building, right? You do know the Bush administration hired the Imam to go on goodwill missions to the middle east, right? You do know we have religious courts RIGHT NOW in the US, right? (I won't tell you what religion because I want everyone to see your bigotry.)

[omobob]

10:44 AM on 09/01/2010

If you investigate the funding of this project you come back to the single largest individual share holder in the Fox News empire and the Saudi Prince who the Fox News crowd is painting as a possible terrorist. Alwaleed bin Talal, owns the biggest chunk of the parent company of the Fox News Channel outside of the Murdoch family. The same Saudi Prince Fox is claiming to have possible terrorist connections? .Doesn’t anyone watch Jon Stewart?
“Jon Stewart continued his coverage of the 'Ground Zero Mosque' debate, focusing on Fox News' incongruities harder than he ever has. In a segment called "The Parent Company Trap," Stewart shared with his viewers how Fox News' plan to "follow the money" from mosque builder Imam Rauf to terrorists will be a tricky one because it leads right back to Fox News.” Alwaleed bin Talal, owns the biggest chunk of the parent company of the Fox News Channel outside of the Murdoch family. The same Saudi Prince Fox is claiming to have possible terrorist connections? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

[Occam123]

11:11 AM on 09/01/2010

OK< so even more reasons to oppose this Cordoba Caliphate Mission.

[omobob]

02:21 PM on 09/01/2010

Wrong. You missed the point when you start to believe the silly innuendoes passed for here say on Fox. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns the biggest chunk of the parent company of the Fox News Channel outside of the Murdoch family is also good friends with the Bush Family. The point is if he is a terrorist as Fox News implies then Fox News must move, No? Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is not a terrorist. If he is he’s pretty well connected DC, No?

[Imrightyourewrong]

07:30 PM on 09/01/2010

Here's the dirty little secret that even Stewart missed. THEY HAVEN'T RAISED A DIME!!!!

[godwithin]

09:36 AM on 09/01/2010

New Yorkers? State or City? The title and article only reports the prejudice and discrimination of the majority and omitted the majority knows the rights of the minority.

By a 54 - 40 percent majority, voters agree "that because of American freedom of religion, Muslims have the right to build the mosque near Ground Zero," the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Another 7 percent are undecided.

But these same voters agree 53 - 39 percent, with 8 percent undecided, "that because of the sensitivities of 9/11 relatives, Muslims should not be allowed to build the mosque near Ground Zero."

By a 45 - 31 percent margin, New York State voters say they have a "generally favorable" opinion of Islam, with 24 percent undecided.

Mainstream Islam is a peaceful religion, rather than one which encourages violence against non-Muslims, New York State voters say 54 - 24 percent, with 21 percent undecided. New York City voters say 62 - 21 percent that Islam is peaceful, compared to 49 - 28 percent among upstate voters and 51 - 25 percent among suburban voters.

Most voters believe that Islam is a peaceful religion. New York City voters in general have more positive views about Islam

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1318.xml?ReleaseID=1493

[godwithin]

09:45 AM on 09/01/2010

I also find the misleading wording discredits the poll. Not exclusively a mosque, an Islamic community center.
---
Vision
Park51 will be dedicated to pluralism, service, arts and culture, education and empowerment, appreciation for our city and a deep respect for our planet. Park51 will join New York to the world, offering a welcoming community center with multiple points of entry.
With world-class facilities, a global scope and strong local roots, Park 51 will offer a friendly and accessible platform for conversations across our identities.
http://park51.org.s105994.gridserver.com/vision.htm

Mission
New York deserves its reputation as a peerless center of arts, culture and ideas. Park51 honors and furthers that tradition, envisioning a community center for all of us, bringing the best of the world to New York City, and New York City’s energy, diversity and aspirations to the world. Park51 will become a model for future institutions, with its inclusive focus, outstanding facilities and dedication to social needs.
http://park51.org.s105994.gridserver.com/mission.htm

[omobob]

02:27 PM on 09/01/2010

What most Americans believe about islam they get through negative western media. "How much do Americans know about the views and beliefs of Muslims around the world? According to polls, not much. Perhaps not surprising, the majority of Americans (66%) admit to having at least some prejudice against Muslims; one in five say they have "a great deal" of prejudice. Almost half do not believe American Muslims are "loyal" to this country, and one in four do not want a Muslim as a neighbor." Its not surprising when you consider the enormous misinterpretation of Islam and the Qu’ran riding the western airwaves posing as fact.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/apr/02/opinion/oe-esposito2

[ItsAD]

09:31 AM on 09/01/2010

I have no doubt that 71% of New Yorkers want to move the mosque that Fox says will be built.

I wonder what percentage of New Yorkers want to move the mosque that Imam Rauf actually intends to build. I guess we'll never know.

[Dalmatio]

09:30 AM on 09/01/2010

What happened to the progressives in NY?