Newt Gingrich Compares Park51 Project To Quran Burning: Obama Should Tell Imam 'Don't Do It'

Former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich on Friday urged President Obama to respond to the Park51 Islamic Community Center proposal near Ground Zero in the same way he did to a plan by Florida Rev. Terry Jones to burn Qurans on the ninth anniversary of 9/11. On Thursday, Obama encouraged Jones to call off his "stunt," which he eventually did. Gingrich said the president should ask the same of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a key sponsor and religious figure behind the Park51 project.

"I think the American people are prepared to say don't burn the Koran just as they wouldn't want to burn the bible or any other religious document," Gingrich said on ABC News's "Good Morning America." "But they are also prepared to say [to Obama] 'Why don't you be pretty blunt, be at least as blunt with Imam Rauf as you are with the pastor in Florida and tell him don't do it.'"

Last month, Obama weighed in on the Park51 project, saying that the planners had "the right to build" the 13-story Islamic community center two blocks away from Ground Zero. He later changed his tone, however, saying that though backers indeed had the right to go forward with the project, he would "not comment on the wisdom" of doing so.

Watch Newt Gingrich On ABC News's "Good Morning America":

Comments

[farmilyman]

04:39 AM on 09/13/2010

Newt is even irritating without saying a word.

[PaganKMcK]

04:22 AM on 09/13/2010

Equating burning the Koran with not Building this cultural center is a false equivilancy. No one has suggested that this Terry Jones character represents all white Christian men.

However, by saying that they "shouldn't build a mosque at ground zero" is holding all of Islam responsible for what 19 terrorist jerk Muslims did.

The whole argument is specious. Americans hold the person (s) who committed the action, who aided and supported the action, who financed the action responsible for their actions. That is how it works.

[moose and squirrel]

02:15 AM on 09/13/2010

ever the constitutionalist, that Newt....

[thebertmanlives]

01:30 AM on 09/13/2010

newt was a black flag fan in the 80's gimme gimme gimme

[pgobrien]

01:25 AM on 09/13/2010

Newt Ginrich is a sorry disgrace, was drummed out of Washington and should not be welcomed back into the fold of respectable legislators. Why do we need to hear the blah-blah that this little man continues to spout. Doesn't he have enough money to keep him happy over in a corner somewhere eating caviar and swimming in his little pool? Go away, Newt. You bother us.

[lapinbrim]

12:32 AM on 09/13/2010

Gingrich, Palin and Bachman do not believe in democracy, All they care about is Republican radical hegemony. They hope to achieve this by delegitimizing any political figure who does not buy into their monolithic view of what it means to be an American. Gingrich is doing nothing more than trying t reinforce the notion that Obama is not a real American. We are witnessing McCarthyism for the new millennium.

What is left of mainstream news media does not regularly search out David Duke for his input, they are well aware of his irrelevance. How is it that Newt continues to get air time. Is it simply to drum up ratings via fanning the flames of controversy? The answer is self evident.

People on left who make the rounds on the various networks need to stop being polite with this hate monger. They need to call him out at every turn. It is time to fight back against the insidious intolerance that is promulgated by people of Gingrich's ilk.

[areachanging]

12:11 AM on 09/13/2010

Moderator: You are violating HP rules by deleting my posts.

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[Joshy X]

11:20 PM on 09/12/2010

interesting both Osama and Obama both want a mosque at ground zero... the people don't... nuff said...

[kooldalai]

12:56 AM on 09/13/2010

The worst terrorists the country has ever known were/is the KKK. They carried the bible, prayed to God and Jesus, wrapped themselves in the American flag then terrorized and killed fellow Americans. It is this hypocrisy that makes the building a cultural center a non issue.

[bascombe]

10:06 PM on 09/12/2010

newt = the last person on the face of the earth whom anyone should listen to.... about anything.

[Joshy X]

11:14 PM on 09/12/2010

Newt is brilliant...speaks for the majority

[bascombe]

11:35 PM on 09/12/2010

nute = (_?_)

[bascombe]

11:37 PM on 09/12/2010

nute is also a (_*_)

[rugby john]

09:07 PM on 09/12/2010

Gingrich is an absolute tool.

[bascombe]

10:09 PM on 09/12/2010

I know it wasn't intentional, but that is an insult to any usable object with a discernible or demonstrated purpose.

[rugby john]

11:17 AM on 09/14/2010

FUNNY...an insults to tools.

[Duppy]

05:55 PM on 09/12/2010

Is this guy for real or is he just dense ! Obama cannot tell anyone to do anything. This is America Newt ! Its called freedom of religion and freedom of speech. In that case, Obama should get rid of all Baptist, Catholic and other religious institutions in America. What a dummy ! And this guy wants to run for President ? He must be "on" something ! LOL

[gbrooks]

10:42 PM on 09/12/2010

While I agree--the health care "reform" mandate does indeed mean that Obama can tell people what to do...and what to buy.

Off topic, I know.

[tbabe]

11:34 PM on 09/12/2010

I suggest that before you offer an opinion you educate yourself. Maybe visit an Islamic country and compare benign religious doctrine of Christianity with the more restrictive, harsher demands of Islam. Do you want to be told what to eat, when to pray, when to bathe, what to wear, who you can be friends with, intolerance of questioning authority, be awakened by the caller at 5:30 every morning and get up and wash your dirty face and feet, be told what you can and cannot do in the bedroom, what profession you should pursue........? Who's the dummy? LOL!! Look in the mirror. Or second thought you would probably be a perfect fit for this scenario because not everyone can handle freedom. Maybe in your next life.

[PaganKMcK]

04:01 AM on 09/13/2010

I suggest you educate yourself and listen to conservative fundamental Christians. They would be telling you what to drink and eat, when to pray so on, when to bath so on and so forth if they could. The fact that they can't is because their is a secular counter balance in this country. Biblical law is just restrictive as "Sharia Law". In some ways more so.

By the way, if you pick up a history book you would see Christianity was not so benign and Islam not so intolerant. If you go to the many countries that practice Islam you would find that Islam is practice differently in different places.

I really wish t people who talk about "educating" oneself about Islam would actually go out and educate themselves about Islam and Christianity.

[prodemlib]

05:22 PM on 09/12/2010

Newt, you are irrelevant. Go away, you has-been

[buddhalounge]

04:42 PM on 09/12/2010

Obama may well be the Neville Chamberlain of today. Polished but quite gutless when faced with increased aggression by others. Is he not allowing the Islamist to become more and more beligerent by his stand, similar to how Chamberlain's policy allowed the Nazis to expand further and further.

[sixletters]

08:49 PM on 09/12/2010

The most idiotic and offensive comparison I have heard today, but then again what else is new. It seems that you guys were born to be offensive.

[wanttruth]

10:24 PM on 09/12/2010

Good post. Well said.

[moose and squirrel]

02:14 AM on 09/13/2010

HISTORY FAIL.

[reviewingthesituation]

04:25 PM on 09/12/2010

Should he also tell priests and rabbis what to do?

[asiclilpup]

03:27 PM on 09/12/2010

No newts will be good newts.